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Bastille Day
noun
: July 14 observed in France as a national holiday in commemoration of the fall of the Bastille in 1789
Examples of Bastille Day in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Earlier in the month, Bastille Day (July 14) is a national holiday, celebrated with a military parade, free concerts, and fireworks at the Eiffel Tower.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2024
Seasonal specials enhance the menu, particularly on Bastille Day (July 14), always a festive occasion here.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Russia’s war in Ukraine – central to last year’s Bastille Day celebrations – echoed in this year’s events as well.
—Angela Charlton and Youcef Bounab, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 July 2023
The company also has a line in European action films, including 2014’s Non-Stop with Liam Neeson, Idris Elba-starrer Bastille Day (2018) aka The Take and 2015’s The Gunman starring Elba and Sean Penn.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024
Roussel greeted constituents at a rock concert, joined a crowd gathered to watch the fireworks, dropped in on a house party and finally, the following morning, marched in a Bastille Day parade in the neighboring town Fresnes-sur-Escaut.
—Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
The following year, an ISIS sympathizer drove a truck into a crowd of spectators watching fireworks on Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86 people.
—Chris Massaro, Fox News, 14 Jan. 2024
On this trip, guests will have the opportunity to dine at Golden Poppy, Crenn’s first restaurant in France, go for a private tour of the Musée Picasso and get the best seat in the house for the Bastille Day fireworks from the rooftop of their hotel.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 7 Nov. 2023
Florczak, the mayor of Jouy-le-Moutier, said the increasing frequency of heat waves would mean that Bastille Day fireworks would likely no longer be a fixture in his city.
—Constant Méheut, BostonGlobe.com, 14 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Bastille Day.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1837, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near Bastille Day
Cite this Entry
“Bastille Day.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Bastille%20Day. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
Bastille Day
noun
Bas·tille Day
ba-ˈstē(ə)l-
: July 14 observed in France as a national holiday in memory of the capture of the Parisian prison the Bastille by revolutionary forces in 1789
More from Merriam-Webster on Bastille Day
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Bastille Day
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