Meaning & use
vacationed
Last updated
“vacationed” is a form of “vacation”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbintransitiveAmerican
Spent a holiday or a period of rest away from home or work.
Grammar: No object; often followed by a place phrase: vacationed in Spain.
Patterns
- vacationed in a place
- vacationed at a place
- vacationed with someone
- vacationed for a period
Last summer we vacationed in Italy for two weeks.
They vacationed at a small beach resort in Florida.
She vacationed with her family in the mountains every August.
Word forms
| base form | vacation |
|---|---|
| third person singular | vacations |
| present participle | vacationing |
| past tense | vacationed |
| past participle | vacationed |
Common combinations
- vacationed in
- We vacationed in Hawaii last winter.
- vacationed at
- They vacationed at a lake house in Canada.
- vacationed with
- I vacationed with my cousins in California.
- vacationed abroad
- He vacationed abroad for the first time last year.
Synonyms and how they differ
- holidayed
- British equivalent; used in the UK where 'vacationed' is rare.
- traveled
- More general; it doesn't always imply rest or a holiday.
Opposites
Word family
- vacation noun
- A period of time spent traveling or resting away from home.
- vacationer noun
- A person who is on vacation.
- vacationing verb
- The -ing form: They are vacationing in Greece.
Commonly confused: vacationed or vocation?
vacationed vs vocation
A vocation is a strong feeling of suitability for a career or a job; vacation is a holiday.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Vacationed in Italy' is correct because 'in' is used with countries and large areas. 'To' suggests movement towards a place, not a stay. 'At' is used for specific points or small places. 'On' is used with islands or coasts, but not with a country name like Italy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vacationed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.