va·ca·tion
vā-ˈkā-shən 
və-
often attributive
1
: a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation
had a restful vacation at the beach
2
a
: a scheduled period during which activity (as of a court or school) is suspended
b
: a period of exemption from work granted to an employee
3
: a respite or a time of respite from something : intermission
4
: an act or an instance of vacating
Examples of vacation in a Sentence
Noun
Family vacations were a high point in my childhood.
When are you taking vacation this year?
Employees are entitled to 120 hours of paid vacation.
I don't have any vacation days left.
We have a one-week vacation in February.
The university will be closed for Christmas vacation.
Verb
hoping to vacation in Spain this summer
Recent Examples on the Web
Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Two of its readers were screenwriter Alvin Sargent (Julia, Paper Moon, Ordinary People) and producer Laura Ziskin (Eyes of Laura Mars, No Way Out), who felt that August’s central idea of a patient cracking up when their therapist goes on vacation would make a funny movie.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025
Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2025
Two of the most memorable characters in Season 3 of The White Lotus were Aimee Lou Wood’s Chelsea, a fun-loving woman who is vacationing in Thailand with her much older boyfriend, Rick, played by Walton Goggins.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vacation
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
In an ideal world, our pets could come everywhere with us—but taking a cat on a two-week vacation to a hot destination isn't exactly feasible.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Two of its readers were screenwriter Alvin Sargent (Julia, Paper Moon, Ordinary People) and producer Laura Ziskin (Eyes of Laura Mars, No Way Out), who felt that August’s central idea of a patient cracking up when their therapist goes on vacation would make a funny movie.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
One of the season’s main stories has focused on Rick (played by Walton Goggins), a morose middle-aged man vacationing with his earnest, wide-eyed girlfriend, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood).
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2025
Two of the most memorable characters in Season 3 of The White Lotus were Aimee Lou Wood’s Chelsea, a fun-loving woman who is vacationing in Thailand with her much older boyfriend, Rick, played by Walton Goggins.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vacation
Cite this Entry
“Vacation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vacation. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vacation
1 of 2 noun
va·ca·tion
vā-ˈkā-shən
və-
1
: a period during which activity (as of a school) is stopped for a time
2
: a period spent away from home or business in travel or amusement
vacation
2 of 2 verb
vacationed; vacationing
-sh(ə-)niŋ
: to take or spend a vacation
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share