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Bastille Day
noun
: July 14 observed in France as a national holiday in commemoration of the fall of the Bastille in 1789
Examples of Bastille Day in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The short film was picked up by France Televisions, TF1 and M6, and was broadcast on Bastille Day.
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Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 14 July 2024
As the world’s leading fireworks provider, French pyrotechnics company Etienne Lacroix ships fireworks globally and has supported events such as the Burj Khalifa Grand Opening Fireworks Show in Dubai and Bastille Day, France’s national holiday that is celebrated on July 14 each year.
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Jeanette Rohr, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
The deadliest incident was in 2016 in Nice, France, when a truck driver plowed into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day, killing more than 80 people; ISIS claimed responsibility.
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Laura Strickler, NBC News, 4 Jan. 2025
Image New Orleans first installed its metal security barriers along Bourbon Street in 2017, after scores of people were killed in a terrorist truck attack on a Bastille Day parade in Nice, France, a year earlier.
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Adam Nossiter, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
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Word History
First Known Use
1837, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Bastille Day.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Bastille%20Day. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
Bastille Day
noun
Bas·tille Day
ba-ˈstē(ə)l-
: July 14 observed in France as a national holiday in memory of the capture of the Parisian prison the Bastille by revolutionary forces in 1789
More from Merriam-Webster on Bastille Day
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Bastille Day
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