INDEX:
1. time when you are allowed to be away from work or school
2. a day’s holiday when all the shops, banks etc are closed
3. time when you travel to another place for enjoyment
4. someone who is on holiday
5. to go for a holiday somewhere
6. a place where people go or stay on holidays
7. the business of arranging holidays for people
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ TRAVEL
↑ VISIT
↑ GET ON OR OFF A BUS, PLANE ETC
↑ FREE
↑ STAY (4-8)
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1. time when you are allowed to be away from work or school
▷ holiday /ˈhɒlɪdi, ˈhɒlədiǁˈhɑːlə̇deɪ/ [countable/uncountable noun] British
a period of time when you do not have to go to work or school :
▪ I get four weeks’ holiday each year.
▪ Work has been so hectic - I really need a holiday.
the holidays/summer holidays/school holidays
the long periods when schools close
▪ July 20th is the first day of the summer holidays.
Christmas/Easter etc holiday
▪ Last year we spent most of the Christmas holiday at our grandma’s.
spend your holidays
▪ As a boy, Luckett spent his holidays here in Ledsham.
in/during the holidays
▪ We try to do as many different activities as we can with the children during the school holidays.
▷ vacation /vəˈkeɪʃ ə nǁveɪ-/ [countable noun] especially American
a period of time when you do not have to go to work or school :
▪ I want you to write about your vacation.
▪ The company allows us 14 vacation days a year.
summer/Christmas etc vacation
▪ Under the new plan, students will have shorter summer vacations and longer winter vacations.
spend your vacation
▪ I spent part of my Christmas vacation with my dad’s family.
during summer/winter etc vacation
▪ The skating rink will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during summer vacation.
during somebody’s/a vacation
▪ He worked at the resort during his college vacations.
▷ break /breɪk/ [countable noun]
a short holiday from your work or school :
▪ The students get a few days’ break in February.
spring/winter/Christmas etc break
▪ Daytona Beach is preparing for the thousands of college students who will arrive for spring break.
take a break
▪ Can you take a break next month?
▷ day off/afternoon off etc /ˌdeɪ ˈɒf/ [noun phrase]
a period of time when you are allowed to be away from work :
▪ Wednesday is my only day off this week.
have/take a day off
▪ I’ve got a day off on Friday -- I’ll come and see you then.
▪ Can you take the morning off tomorrow?
▷ time off /ˌtaɪm ˈɒf/ [noun phrase]
time when you are allowed to be away from your work, in order to rest or do something different :
have/take time off
▪ Is Phyllis taking any time off when you’re there?
▪ I’ll get some time off around Christmas.
▷ leave /liːv/ [uncountable noun]
a period of official holiday time, especially for people who are in the army, navy, or police etc :
▪ I get twenty-five days’ leave a year.
▪ Phil still has three days’ annual leave owing to him.
be on leave
having a holiday
▪ They got married while he was on leave from the army.
▷ half-term /ˌhɑːf ˈtɜːʳm◂ǁˌhæf-/ [countable noun] British
a short holiday in the middle of the school term :
▪ It rained all through half-term.
▪ Half-term is the last week in October.
2. a day’s holiday when all the shops, banks etc are closed
▷ holiday /ˈhɒlɪdi, ˈhɒlədiǁˈhɑːlə̇deɪ/ [countable noun]
▪ We’d forgotten that July 14th was a holiday in France.
national holiday
a holiday for the whole country
▪ St Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland.
bank holiday/public holiday
British an official holiday
▪ This shop is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
▪ The roads are always busy on bank holidays.
3. time when you travel to another place for enjoyment
▷ holiday British /vacation American /ˈhɒlɪdi, ˈhɒlədiǁˈhɑːlə̇deɪ, vəˈkeɪʃ ə nǁveɪ-/ [countable noun]
a period of days or weeks that you spend in another place or country for enjoyment :
▪ France is the ideal place for a romantic holiday.
be on holiday/vacation
▪ Mrs Southey is on holiday in Florida.
▪ Karl will take care of the house while we’re on vacation.
have a holiday/vacation
▪ I had two weeks’ holiday in Thailand last year.
take a holiday/vacation
go somewhere for a holiday
▪ We couldn’t afford to take a vacation at the moment.
family holiday/vacation
with your family
▪ They take a two-week family vacation every summer.
▷ trip /trɪp/ [countable noun]
a holiday, especially an organized holiday that you go on in order to do a particular activity :
▪ This year we’re going to Colorado on a five-day skiing trip.
go on a trip
▪ They went on a trip to Australia and loved it.
▪ Every year Peter goes on a fishing trip with all his old friends.
take a trip
▪ We have enough money saved to take a trip to Cancun.
▷ honeymoon /ˈhʌnimuːn/ [countable noun]
the holiday that a man and a woman have just after they are married :
▪ We had our honeymoon in Majorca.
on honeymoon
▪ Where are you going on honeymoon?
4. someone who is on holiday
▷ tourist /ˈtʊ ə rɪst, ˈtʊ ə rəst/ [countable noun]
someone who visits a different place for interest and enjoyment :
▪ More than 3 million American tourists visit Britain every year.
▪ Tourists can use the colour-coded map to guide themselves on walks of the city.
▷ holidaymaker British /vacationer American /ˈhɒlɪdiˌmeɪkəʳ, ˈhɒlədiˌmeɪkəʳǁˈhɑːlə̇deɪ-, vəˈkeɪʃ ə nəʳǁveɪ-/ [countable noun]
someone who is spending time in another place or country for enjoyment - used especially in newspapers and advertising :
▪ The town seems so empty in the autumn when all the holidaymakers have gone home.
▪ In the 1950s, vacationers flocked to resorts in the Catskills.
▷ honeymooner /ˈhʌnimuːnəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who is on holiday with there new husband or wife soon after their wedding :
▪ All the honeymooners will receive a free bottle of champagne.
5. to go for a holiday somewhere
▷ go on holiday British /go on vacation American /ˌgəʊ ɒn ˈhɒlə̇diǁ-ˈhɑːlədeɪ, ˌgəʊ ɒn vəˈkeɪʃ ə nǁ-veɪ-/ [verb phrase]
to go away from your home, especially for a holiday :
▪ We used to go on holiday in Scotland when we were kids.
▪ Make sure you get insurance before you go on holiday.
▪ Most families go on vacation during the summer.
▷ go away /ˌgəʊ əˈweɪ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to go away from your home, especially for a holiday :
▪ We’re going away for two weeks in June.
▪ Martha and Tom are going away this weekend.
▷ get away /ˌget əˈweɪ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to spend time away from your home - use this especially about someone who goes on holiday for a rest from their normally busy life :
▪ We managed to get away for a week in August.
get away from it all
spend time away from all the things you usually have to do
▪ Yosemite is a great place to get away from it all.
▷ take off /ˌteɪk ˈɒf/ [intransitive phrasal verb] American informal
to go on holiday, especially somewhere exciting or far away :
take off for
▪ Carlos just took off for Venezuela for three weeks.
6. a place where people go or stay on holidays
▷ resort /rɪˈzɔːʳt/ [countable noun]
a place where a lot of people go for a holiday, especially one that has a lot of things specially provided for tourists such as hotels, swimming pools, organized activities etc :
▪ Acapulco is one of Mexico’s most popular resorts.
▪ Lift tickets at most ski resorts are about $30 to $40 a day.
▷ tourist attraction /ˈtʊ ə rɪst əˌtrækʃ ə n, ˈtʊ ə rəst əˌtrækʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
something such as a museum, place, event etc that tourists want to see :
▪ Graceland, Elvis Presley’s former home, is now a tourist attraction that draws more than 600,000 visitors every year.
▷ tourist destination /ˈtʊ ə rɪst destəˌneɪʃ ə n, ˈtʊ ə rəst destəˌneɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a place where a lot of people like to go on holiday :
▪ Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ most popular tourist destination.
▪ Phuket is an international tourist destination 430 miles south of Bangkok.
▷ tourist trap /ˈtʊ ə rɪst ˌtræp, ˈtʊ ə rəst ˌtræp/ [countable noun]
a place that a lot of tourists go to, but where hotels, food, gifts etc are more expensive than they should be, and that is often not as pleasant or interesting as tourists expect :
▪ Residents are worried that the president’s home town will turn into a tourist trap.
▷ camp /kæmp/ [countable noun] American
a place where children go to stay for a short time and do special activities and have fun :
▪ College students work at a camp for kids from the inner city, leading craft activities and sports competitions.
▪ A girl’s basketball camp is being organized by the City Recreation Department.
summer camp
▪ He’s going to a Boy Scout summer camp for two weeks in August.
day camp
a camp where children go during the day, but come home at night
▪ The YMCA is running a day camp with crafts, sports, and water fun.
▷ holiday camp /ˈhɒlɪdi ˌkæmp, ˈhɒlədi ˌkæmpǁˈhɑːlə̇deɪ-/ [countable noun] British
a place where people, especially families, go for their holidays and where there are a lot of organized activities :
▪ She won a talent show at a holiday camp in Wales.
▷ cruise /kruːz/ [countable noun]
a holiday during which you travel on a large boat that has entertainment, restaurants, swimming pools etc :
▪ The seven-day cruise stops at Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and other Mexican resorts.
cruise liner/ship
▪ a luxury cruise ship
▷ tour /tʊəʳ/ [countable noun]
a trip in which you visit several different places with a group of other people :
▪ The tour includes stops in Salzburg and Vienna.
package tour
a tour in which all the travel arrangements are made by the tour company
▪ Package tours that include tickets to Olympic events have sold well.
▷ holiday home British /vacation home American /ˈhɒlɪdi ˌhəʊm, ˈhɒlədi ˌhəʊmǁˈhɑːlə̇deɪ-, vəˈkeɪʃ ə n ˌhəʊmǁveɪ-/ [countable noun]
a house that someone owns in a place such as the mountains or the coast where they go for their holidays :
▪ Many Swedes have small vacation homes on a lake shore.
▷ timeshare /ˈtaɪmʃeəʳ/ [countable noun]
a holiday home that you buy with other people, so that each person can spend a period of time there :
▪ They have a timeshare in Majorca.
▷ campground American /campsite British /ˈkæmpgraʊnd, ˈkæmpsaɪt/ [countable noun]
a place where people can bring tents or vehicles that they sleep in, to stay in while they are on holiday :
▪ Campgrounds in Glacier National Park open in late May and early June.
▪ Most French towns have a municipal campsite.
▷ hostel/youth hostel /ˈhɒstl, ˈjuːθ ˌhɒstlǁˈhɑː-/ [countable noun]
a cheap hotel where people can stay for a short time while they are travelling on their holidays :
▪ We stayed at a cheap hostel in the centre of Prague.
7. the business of arranging holidays for people
▷ travel/tourist industry /ˈtræv ə l, ˈtʊ ə rə̇st ˌɪndəstri/ [uncountable noun]
all the jobs that are involved in providing services for tourists :
▪ Restrictions introduced to control foot and mouth disease have hit the tourist industry hard.
▪ In the U.S., the travel industry is the second largest employer in the nation.
▷ tourism /ˈtʊ ə rɪz ə m/ [uncountable noun]
when people travel to another place for a holiday - use this especially when you are talking about all the services tourists need, such as hotels, food etc :
▪ As part of a plan to increase tourism, visitors staying less than 90 days do not need a visa.
▪ The country relies on tourism and the sale of raw materials for hard currency.
▷ travel agency /ˈtræv ə l ˌeɪdʒ ə nsi/ [countable noun]
a business that arranges travel and holidays :
▪ Travel agencies issue at least 80 percent of all airline tickets.
travel agent [countable noun]
someone who works in a travel agency :
▪ Check with your travel agent for the best rates.
▷ tour guide /ˈtʊəʳ gaɪd/ [countable noun]
someone who leads a tour to different places and tells people about their history, meaning etc :
▪ Student tour guides take visitors on a one-hour tour of the campus.
▪ According to our tour guide, Gibraltar is the largest fortress in the world.