bank-holiday
📖 Definitions
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noun
A public holiday on which banks and many businesses are closed, especially in the United Kingdom and Ireland.; Any officially designated public holiday in certain countries.
🔗 Details
Word forms
countable
Plural: bank holidays
Collocations
bank holiday weekendAugust bank holidayEaster bank holidaybank holiday Mondayspring bank holiday
Synonyms
public holidaynational holidaylegal holidaystatutory holiday
Antonyms
working daybusiness day
Commonly confused
public holiday
EN: 'Public holiday' is the broader international term; 'bank holiday' is specifically used in the UK and Ireland, originally referring to days when banks were closed.
holiday
EN: 'Holiday' is a general term for any day off or vacation; 'bank holiday' specifically denotes an officially designated national day off.
Spelling tips
EN: The standard form is 'bank holiday' (two separate words, no hyphen). The hyphenated form 'bank-holiday' is occasionally seen as a compound modifier (e.g., 'bank-holiday weekend') but is non-standard as a noun.
💬 Examples
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We went to the seaside for the August bank holiday.
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The office will be closed on all bank holidays throughout the year.