vacation
vacation Lexical Profile
vacation Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American An extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling; a break from work or study.
"They are planning a two-week summer vacation along the coast of Maine."
A fixed period of the year when universities, colleges, or law courts are officially closed and suspended.
"Many undergraduate students return home during the long summer vacation between academic terms."
The formal act of vacating, leaving, or giving up a previously occupied property, position, or office.
"The lease agreement requires the complete vacation of the commercial premises by the end of the month."
• verb
North American To take or spend a holiday or recreational period away from home or work.
"Her family has vacationed at the same lakeside cabin every August for over a decade."
Word Nuance & Usage
In North American English, 'vacation' refers to any recreational trip or leisure break from work, whereas in British English 'holiday' is used for general leisure trips and 'vacation' is typically reserved for official recesses at universities or law courts.
• Rhymes for vacation
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Old French vacacion, from Latin vacatio ('freedom, exemption, or a being free from duty'), derived from vacare ('to be empty, free, or at leisure').