Meaning & use
vacation
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountableAmerican
A period of days or weeks spent away from your usual work or studies, usually to rest or to travel.
Grammar: Countable when you take one: a long vacation; uncountable after on: She is on vacation.
Patterns
- go on vacation
- a vacation in somewhere
- take a vacation
We spent our summer vacation at a lake cabin in Maine.
Dana is on vacation until the end of the month.
After the busy season, the whole team needs a real vacation.
nouncountableBritish
A scheduled break between terms at a school, college or law court, when lessons or hearings stop.
Grammar: Often appears with the season or term it follows: the winter vacation, the long vacation.
Patterns
- during the vacation
- the vacation between terms
Many students find a part-time job during the Christmas vacation.
The professor used the long vacation to finish her book.
The courts are in vacation until October.
verbintransitiveAmerican
To spend a holiday somewhere, especially away from home.
Grammar: Takes no object and is usually followed by a place: they vacation in Spain.
Patterns
- vacation in somewhere
- vacation with someone
Her grandparents vacation in Florida every winter.
We usually vacation near the coast.
They vacationed with friends last August.
Word forms
| plural | vacations |
|---|---|
| third person singular | vacations |
| past tense | vacationed |
| past participle | vacationed |
| -ing form | vacationing |
Common combinations
- take a vacation
- I plan to take a vacation as soon as the project is finished.
- go on vacation
- They go on vacation every July.
- summer vacation
- Our summer vacation starts the first week of June.
- family vacation
- The family vacation to the mountains was our best trip yet.
- vacation days
- She still has six vacation days left this year.
- vacation rental
- We booked a vacation rental close to the beach.
Synonyms and how they differ
- holiday
- Holiday is the normal British word for a vacation, but in American English it usually means a particular public celebration day.
- break
- Break is more general and can be as short as a weekend, whereas vacation suggests a longer stretch of time away.
- getaway
- Getaway is informal and means a short escape trip, often just a few days, while vacation can be much longer.
- time off
- Time off covers any leave from work, including sick days, so it is broader than vacation.
Word family
Commonly confused: vacation or vocation?
vacation vs vocation
A vocation is a career or calling that someone feels suited to, not a break from work. The two words sound alike but are unrelated in meaning.
Practice
We booked a lakeside cabin for our family ___ in July.
Choose one answer.
A family vacation is a trip taken for rest. A vocation is a calling, a vacancy is an empty room or job, and a vacuum is an empty space, so none of them fits a July cabin trip.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vacation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.