D-day

or D-Day

[ dee-dey ]

noun
  1. Military. the day, usually unspecified, set for the beginning of a planned attack.

  2. June 6, 1944, the day of the invasion of western Europe by Allied forces in World War II.

  1. Informal. any day of special significance, as one marking an important event or goal.

Origin of D-day

1
First recorded in 1918; D (for day) + day; the same pattern as H-hour

Words Nearby D-day

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use D-day in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for D-day

D-day

noun
  1. the day, June 6, 1944, on which the Allied invasion of Europe began

  2. the day on which any large-scale operation is planned to start

Origin of D-day

1
C20: from D (ay) -day; compare H-hour

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for D-Day

D-Day

The code name for the first day of a military attack, especially the American and British invasion of German-occupied France during World War II on June 6, 1944 (see invasion of Normandy). This marked the beginning of the victory of the Allies in Europe. Germany surrendered less than a year later.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.