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
Synonyms
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
Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
Where to stay in Oak Bluffs and Martha's Vineyard:
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
This popular peninsula in Massachusetts is a vacation hotspot for good reason.
—Alex Erdekian, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2024
Families planning low-cost vacations this summer should look no further than visiting a national park.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024
Just like vacations can reinvigorate and revitalize, so can exercise breaks.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
The original film, written and directed by Alda, revolves around three couples who take vacations together each season and explores the changes in the group dynamic when one of couples splits up and the man brings a much younger woman on subsequent trips.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
In the film, three married couples take vacations together each season, but things are thrown for a loop when one of the husbands leaves his wife and begins bringing a younger woman with him.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
After Méndez was demoted earlier this month, Wysong briefly served as acting city attorney until Chief Deputy City Attorney John Greco returned from vacation on Monday.
—Joey Flechas, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
Here's a list of some local Airbnb listings to consider for a vacation:
Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Bourbon Trail: Caboose on the Farm
Distance From Downtown Louisville: About an hour drive, or 60 miles.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 13 Apr. 2024
Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2024
Khloé Kardashian Spends Sunset at the Beach with Her Kids True, 5, and Tatum, 1
The joke is a nod to a very memorable season 6 episode of KUWTK filmed in 2010, in which Kim, 43, and then-boyfriend Kris Humphries were vacationing with her family in French Polynesia when tragedy struck.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Photos of Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce vacationing on a tiny island in the Bahamas have been widely circulated (and discussed) on social media over the last couple of days.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024
While vacationing in Aspen last month, Ms. Earle did some shopping for personalized hats at Kemo Sabe with a few friends.
—Jessica Roy Kristín Braga Wright, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
So, whether your next camping trip involves backpacking in Glacier National Park or vacationing in your 40-foot-long RV at a KOA resort, these are the 14 camping essentials that this lifelong camper recommends having on hand.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2024
Lemon and Zucker were known to be close in their time at CNN, and in July of 2023 Lemon, Zucker and Gollust were seen vacationing in Italy together for the wedding of Jay Sures, Lemon’s agent through United Talent Agency.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Jones produced nine songs on Combs' recent Love album from September 2022 to November 2023, lived with him in various U.S. cities and would vacation to other countries with him.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
People who pay taxes that contribute directly to the quality of the parks should be able to get first dibs in vacationing to those parks.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Poosh founder’s IHOP breakfast follows her tropical birthday vacation with her husband Travis Barker and their baby boy Rocky, 5 months.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
Where to stay in Oak Bluffs and Martha's Vineyard:
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
This popular peninsula in Massachusetts is a vacation hotspot for good reason.
—Alex Erdekian, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2024
Families planning low-cost vacations this summer should look no further than visiting a national park.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024
Just like vacations can reinvigorate and revitalize, so can exercise breaks.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
The original film, written and directed by Alda, revolves around three couples who take vacations together each season and explores the changes in the group dynamic when one of couples splits up and the man brings a much younger woman on subsequent trips.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
In the film, three married couples take vacations together each season, but things are thrown for a loop when one of the husbands leaves his wife and begins bringing a younger woman with him.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
After Méndez was demoted earlier this month, Wysong briefly served as acting city attorney until Chief Deputy City Attorney John Greco returned from vacation on Monday.
—Joey Flechas, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
Here's a list of some local Airbnb listings to consider for a vacation:
Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Bourbon Trail: Caboose on the Farm
Distance From Downtown Louisville: About an hour drive, or 60 miles.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 13 Apr. 2024
Verb
Come summer, major attractions like the Spanish Steps in Rome (pictured above) are thronged by international tourists and vacationing Europeans.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2024
Khloé Kardashian Spends Sunset at the Beach with Her Kids True, 5, and Tatum, 1
The joke is a nod to a very memorable season 6 episode of KUWTK filmed in 2010, in which Kim, 43, and then-boyfriend Kris Humphries were vacationing with her family in French Polynesia when tragedy struck.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Photos of Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce vacationing on a tiny island in the Bahamas have been widely circulated (and discussed) on social media over the last couple of days.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024
While vacationing in Aspen last month, Ms. Earle did some shopping for personalized hats at Kemo Sabe with a few friends.
—Jessica Roy Kristín Braga Wright, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
So, whether your next camping trip involves backpacking in Glacier National Park or vacationing in your 40-foot-long RV at a KOA resort, these are the 14 camping essentials that this lifelong camper recommends having on hand.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2024
Lemon and Zucker were known to be close in their time at CNN, and in July of 2023 Lemon, Zucker and Gollust were seen vacationing in Italy together for the wedding of Jay Sures, Lemon’s agent through United Talent Agency.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Jones produced nine songs on Combs' recent Love album from September 2022 to November 2023, lived with him in various U.S. cities and would vacation to other countries with him.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
People who pay taxes that contribute directly to the quality of the parks should be able to get first dibs in vacationing to those parks.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vacation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near vacation
Cite this Entry
“Vacation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vacation. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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
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