vacation
gb/veɪkˈeɪʃən/ us/veɪkˈeɪʃən/
A1
English
~ 1600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
Time off from work or study
A time when you are not at work or school and can rest or travel.
Usage pattern:
to be on [vacation]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'vacation' with 'holiday'. In American English, 'holiday' usually means a special day like Christmas, not a long break from work or school.
Synonyms
holiday (Common in British English for time off work or school; in American English, 'holiday' often refers to a specific festive day.)
Antonyms
workday (A day when one works, opposite of being on vacation.)
Collocations
summer vacation
|go on vacation
|vacation time
|family vacation
|vacation destination
Themes
daily life
|travel
|leisure
|work
|education
Examples
- We’re planning a two-week vacation in Italy this summer.
- She saved money all year for her dream vacation.
- I prefer to take my vacation in the winter to go skiing.
- During his vacation, he completely disconnected from email.
- They spent their vacation visiting family and relaxing at home.
Learner examples
- I am on vacation this week.
- We go on vacation in July.
- She is taking a vacation in Spain.
- They have a long vacation in August.
Verb
formal
B1
action
2
To take time off to rest or travel
To go somewhere for rest or fun when you are not working.
Usage pattern:
to vacation in [a place]
Common mistake:
Learners may not know 'vacation' can be used as a verb, especially if they are more familiar with British English.
Synonyms
holiday (Used as a verb mainly in British English to mean 'take a holiday'.)
Collocations
vacation abroad
|vacation together
|vacation home
Themes
travel
|leisure
|daily_life
|work
Examples
- They usually vacation in the mountains every summer.
- We plan to vacation abroad next year.
- She loves to vacation by the sea.
Learner examples
- We will vacation in Italy.
- They vacation in Florida every year.
- I want to vacation in Japan.
Grammar
Dictionary form
vacation
IPA
GB/veɪkˈeɪʃən/
US/veɪkˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
va - ca - tion (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ca)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: vacation
- Plural: vacation, vacations
Verb
- Base: vacation
- 3rd Person Singular: vacations
- Present Participle: vacationing
- Past: vacationed
Word family
Forms
vacations
noun
vacationing
verb
vacationed
verb
Related words
vacationer
noun
holiday
noun A1
Expressions
on vacation
1/ˈɔn veɪkˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
Not working or attending school for leisure
Not at work or school because you are resting or traveling.
Examples
- I can’t attend the meeting next week because I’ll be on vacation.
- She’s on vacation in Hawaii right now.
summer vacation
1/sˈʌmɚ veɪkˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
Summer break from school/work for leisure
The long break in summer when students and some workers do not have to go to school or work.
Examples
- Kids look forward to summer vacation all year.
- We usually visit relatives during summer vacation.
vacation home
1/veɪkˈeɪʃən hˈoʊm/
fixed phrase
Secondary house for leisure stays
A house you use for holidays or weekends, not your main home.
Examples
- They bought a small vacation home near the beach.
- The family spends Christmas at their vacation home in the mountains.
vacation time
1/veɪkˈeɪʃən tˈaɪm/
fixed phrase
Allocated leave from work for rest or travel
The days you can take off from work for rest or travel.
Examples
- I still have two weeks of vacation time left this year.
- Employees must request their vacation time in advance.