Meanings
vacation1
nounvacation (countable and uncountable, plural vacations)
plural vacations
- UScountableuncountablelawThe act of making legally void.
- countableobsoleteuncountableFree time given over to a specific purpose; occupation, activity.First known use 15th–17th c.
The first exploited his, sundrie waies, and excelleth in military exploits, and utilitie of his publike vacations.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 28, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLCSynonyms: annulment, revocation
verbvacation (third-person singular simple present vacations, present participle vacationing, simple past and past participle vacationed)
present singular third person vacations · participle present vacationing · participle past vacationed · past vacationed
- intransitiveTo spend or take a vacation.
This year, we’re vacationing in Mexico.
Synonyms: go on holiday, go on vacation, holiday
VACation2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn extended trip or journey away from home for rest or pleasure.
Similar
nounAn extended period of leisure time away from work or school.
Similar
nounFree time given over to a specific purpose; occupation, activity.
Similar
verbTo spend or take a vacation.
Narrower
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
vacation · noun, verb
- Latinvacātiō
- Old Frenchvacacion
- Anglo-Normanvacacioun
- Middle Englishvacation
- Englishvacation
Inherited from Middle English vacation, vacacion, vacacioun, from Anglo-Norman vacacioun, from Old French vacacion, vacation, from Latin vacātiō. Equivalent to vacate + -ion.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →VACation · noun
From VAC, initials of the Valve Anti-Cheat software, and vacation.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic عُطْلَة, إِجَازَة
- عُطْلَة (ʕuṭla)period of leisure time
- إِجَازَة (ʔijāza)period of leisure time
Basque opor
- oporperiod of leisure time
Bulgarian ваканция, отпуска
- ваканция (vakancija)period of leisure time
- отпуска (otpuska)period of leisure time
- отпуск (otpusk)period of leisure time
- ваканция (vakancija)official holiday period
- опразване (oprazvane)the act of vacating something; moving out of something
- освобождаване (osvoboždavane)the act of vacating something; moving out of something
- вака́нция (vakáncija)freedom from some business or activity
Catalan vacança, fer vacances
- vacançaofficial holiday period
- fer vacancesto spend or take a vacation
Chinese Cantonese 假期
- 假期 (gaa³ kei⁴)period of leisure time
Chinese Mandarin 假期
- 假期 (jiàqī)period of leisure time
Czech prázdniny, dovolená
- prázdninyperiod of leisure time
- dovolenáperiod of leisure time
- dovolenáperiod of leisure time
- prázdninyfreedom from some business or activity
Danish ferie, ferie
- ferieperiod of leisure time
- ferieofficial holiday period
- fratrædelsethe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- fraflytningthe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- tage på ferieto spend or take a vacation
- holde ferieto spend or take a vacation
Dutch vakantie, vakantie
- vakantietrip away from home
- vakantieperiod of leisure time
- vakantieofficial holiday period
- op vakantie gaanto spend or take a vacation
Esperanto libertempo, ferii
- libertempoperiod of leisure time
- feriito spend or take a vacation
Estonian puhkus, puhkus
- puhkusperiod of leisure time
- puhkusofficial holiday period
- vabastaminethe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- tühistaminethe act of making legally void
- annuleeriminethe act of making legally void
Finnish loma, vapaapäivä
- lomaperiod of leisure time
- vapaapäiväperiod of leisure time
- lomaofficial holiday period
- tyhjentäminenthe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- hylkääminenthe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- jättäminenthe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- poismuuttothe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- lähtöthe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- mitätöintithe act of making legally void
- lomaillato spend or take a vacation
- viettää lomaato spend or take a vacation
- viettää lomato spend or take a vacation
French vacances, vacances
- vacancesperiod of leisure time
- vacancesofficial holiday period
- vacancesfreedom from some business or activity
- aller en vacancesto spend or take a vacation
German Urlaub, Ferien
- Urlaubtrip away from home
- Ferienperiod of leisure time
- Urlaubperiod of leisure time
- Ferienofficial holiday period
- Preisgabethe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- Annullierungthe act of making legally void
- Urlaub machento spend or take a vacation
- Ferien machento spend or take a vacation
Greek διακοπές
- διακοπές (diakopés)period of leisure time
Hebrew חופש \ חֹפֶשׁ, חופשה \ חֻפְשָׁה
- חופש \ חֹפֶשׁ (khófesh)period of leisure time
- חופשה \ חֻפְשָׁה (khufshá)official holiday period
Hindi छुट्टी
- छुट्टी (chuṭṭī)period of leisure time
Hungarian nyaralás, szabadság
- nyaralástrip away from home
- szabadságperiod of leisure time
- vakációperiod of leisure time
- szünidőperiod of leisure time
- szabadságofficial holiday period
- munkaszünetofficial holiday period
- pihenőidőofficial holiday period
- kiürítésthe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- kiköltözésthe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- megüresedésthe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- üresedésthe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- betöltetlenségthe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- szabadságra megyto spend or take a vacation
- szabadságot vesz kito spend or take a vacation
- szabadságát töltito spend or take a vacation
- vakációzikto spend or take a vacation
- nyaralto spend or take a vacation
- üdülto spend or take a vacation
Icelandic frí, frí
- frítrip away from home
- fríperiod of leisure time
- fríofficial holiday period
- fara í fríto spend or take a vacation
Irish saoire, saoire
- saoiretrip away from home
- saoireperiod of leisure time
- laethanta saoireofficial holiday period
- dul ar saoireto spend or take a vacation
Italian vacanza, vacanza
- vacanzaperiod of leisure time
- vacanzaofficial holiday period
- feriaofficial holiday period
- andare in vacanzato spend or take a vacation
Japanese 休暇, 休み
- 休暇 (kyūka)period of leisure time
- 休み (yasumi)period of leisure time
- バカンス (bakansu)period of leisure time
- ヴァカンス (vakansu)period of leisure time
- バケーション (bakēshon)period of leisure time
- 休廷 (kyūtei)the act of making legally void
- 休暇を取る (kyūka o toru)to spend or take a vacation
- 休みを取る (yasumi o toru)to spend or take a vacation
Korean 휴가
- 휴가 (hyuga)period of leisure time
Latin cessātiō, fēriae
- cessātiōperiod of leisure time
- fēriaeperiod of leisure time
- fēriaeofficial holiday period
- cessātiōfreedom from some business or activity
Latvian brīvdiena
- brīvdienaperiod of leisure time
Lithuanian atóstogos
- atóstogosperiod of leisure time
Malay cuti
- cutiperiod of leisure time
Norwegian Bokmål ferie
- ferieperiod of leisure time
Polish wakacje, wczasy
- wakacjetrip away from home
- wczasytrip away from home
- urlopperiod of leisure time
- wakacjeperiod of leisure time
- wczasyperiod of leisure time
- świętoofficial holiday period
- opróżnieniethe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- opuszczeniethe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- anulowaniethe act of making legally void
- wakacjefreedom from some business or activity
- wczasyfreedom from some business or activity
- spędzać wakacjeto spend or take a vacation
- spędzić wakacjeto spend or take a vacation
- wczasować sięto spend or take a vacation
Portuguese férias, vacação
- fériasperiod of leisure time
- vacaçãoperiod of leisure time
- tolerânciaperiod of leisure time
- feriadoofficial holiday period
- fériaofficial holiday period
- vacaçãothe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- vagaçãothe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- vacaturathe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- vagaturathe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- fériasfreedom from some business or activity
- sair de fériasto spend or take a vacation
Romanian vacanță, anulare
- vacanțăperiod of leisure time
- anularethe act of making legally void
- golirethe act of making legally void
Russian о́тпуск, кани́кулы
- о́тпуск (ótpusk)period of leisure time
- кани́кулы (kaníkuly)period of leisure time
- отгу́л (otgúl)period of leisure time
- кани́кулы (kaníkuly)official holiday period
- освобожде́ние (osvoboždénije)the act of vacating something; moving out of something
- оставле́ние (ostavlénije)the act of vacating something; moving out of something
- отме́на (otména)the act of making legally void
- проводи́ть о́тпуск (provodítʹ ótpusk)to spend or take a vacation
- провести́ о́тпуск (provestí ótpusk)to spend or take a vacation
Slovak dovolenka
- dovolenkaperiod of leisure time
Spanish vacaciones, vacación
- vacacionesperiod of leisure time
- vacaciónperiod of leisure time
- vacaciónofficial holiday period
- vacacionesofficial holiday period
- vacaturaofficial holiday period
- vacaciónthe act of vacating something; moving out of something
- vacacionarto spend or take a vacation
Swedish semester, semester
- semestertrip away from home
- semesterperiod of leisure time
- ledighetperiod of leisure time
- lovofficial holiday period
- ferieofficial holiday period
- semestrato spend or take a vacation
Thai วันหยุด
- วันหยุด (wan-yùt)period of leisure time
Turkish tatil
- tatilperiod of leisure time
Ukrainian відпу́стка, кані́кули
- відпу́стка (vidpústka)period of leisure time
- кані́кули (kaníkuly)period of leisure time
- кані́кули (kaníkuly)official holiday period
Urdu چُھٹّی, تَعْطِیل
- چُھٹّی (chuṭṭī)period of leisure time
- تَعْطِیل (ta'tīl)period of leisure time
- تَعْطِیلات (ta'tīlāt)period of leisure time
Vietnamese kì nghỉ, nghỉ lễ
- kì nghỉperiod of leisure time
- nghỉ lễofficial holiday period
- đi nghỉto spend or take a vacation
- nghỉ mátto spend or take a vacation
Welsh mynd ar wyliau
- mynd ar wyliauto spend or take a vacation
Yiddish וואַקאַציע
- וואַקאַציע (vakatsye)period of leisure time
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with vacation
informationeducationlocationapplicationassociationadministrationorganizationcorporationregistrationAsianfoundationcommunicationpopulationnavigationstationaccommodationoperationpublicationtransportationevaluationimplementationinstallationnationdocumentation
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
vacation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vacation
MLA
“vacation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vacation. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vacation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vacation.
Source: vacation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.