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vacation

n. C / U
A1 Beginner Oxford US //veɪˈkeɪʃən// UK //veɪkˈeɪʃən// va·ca·tion Archaic General-service Slang

n. a period of time when you do not go to work or school and can relax or travel. People often use this word when they are talking about a holiday.

n. a period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation, especially one spent away from home. In American English, it is the standard term for a holiday; in British legal contexts, it refers to the periods when a court is not in session.


SIMPLE

We are planning a long vacation to the mountains this summer.

CONTEXTUAL

After working sixty hours a week for three months, she finally took a two-week vacation to recharge.

COMPLEX

The high court's summer vacation allows judges and legal staff to process administrative backlogs before the new term commences in the autumn.

Synonyms
Origin

Inherited from Middle English vacation, vacacion, vacacioun, from Anglo-Norman vacacioun, from Old French vacacion, vacation, from Latin vacātiō. Equivalent to vacate + -ion.

Usage

Commonly used with the verb 'take' or the prepositional phrase 'on vacation'.

Pitfall

I am going to vacation next weekI am going on vacation next weekWhen used as a noun to describe the trip, it requires the preposition 'on' rather than acting as the direct object of 'go'.

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