holidays

The word “holidays” means chiefly British: time off work or school, especially for travel or relaxation (usually plural). In plain terms, either a vacation period (British usage) or the Christmas/New Year season.

Here is “holidays” used in a sentence: “We're going away for the holidays in July.”

“Holidays” is a noun.

“Holidays” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Holidays” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: chiefly British: time off work or school, especially for travel or relaxation (usually plural).

In British English, 'holidays' means time off work or school for travel or relaxation. American English usually calls that same time a 'vacation', while reserving 'holiday' for a single public celebration. So a Briton on holiday and an American on vacation are doing the same thing.

'The holidays' commonly refers to the festive season around Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year. Phrases like 'happy holidays' greet people during this period without naming one specific celebration.

'Holiday' in the singular often names one specific day or trip, while 'holidays' in the plural usually refers to an extended period of time off, such as the school holidays or the summer holidays. In British usage the plural is common for a stretch of leisure time.

British English favours 'on holiday' or 'on my holidays', while American English favours 'on vacation'. Both mean spending time away from work or school, typically for travel or rest.