bicentennial

noun

bi·​cen·​ten·​ni·​al ˌbī-(ˌ)sen-ˈte-nē-əl How to pronounce bicentennial (audio)
: a 200th anniversary or its celebration
bicentennial adjective

Examples of bicentennial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Weeks last year found a replacement in South Dakota, painted a gray-blue and created nearly 50 years ago to celebrate the United States’ 1976 bicentennial. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2024 The idea for a festival highlighting the town’s German heritage came as the nation was preparing to celebrate its bicentennial in 1976. J. David Goodman Desiree Rios, New York Times, 4 May 2024 After the state legislature established the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission in 1967, which promoted statewide and local celebrations of the country’s bicentennial, Huntington Beach formed a special committee in the early 1970s to plan a celebration parade. Hanna Kang, Orange County Register, 12 Apr. 2024 One, buried by the Johnson County Old Settlers Association in 1998, is set to be unearthed in 2057 for Olathe’s bicentennial. Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2024 For one year in 1993, the U.S. issued green passports in honor of the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Consular Service for the first time since changing the color to blue in 1976 for the bicentennial. Melanie Lieberman, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2024 They were later reintroduced in 1976, however, as the United States approached its bicentennial, the Department of Treasury said. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 11 Nov. 2023 The commission was drawn to Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv in part because of the studio’s work creating a logo for the U.S. bicentennial, Ms. Rios said. Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 4 Dec. 2023 Rosie Rios remembers celebrating the United States' bicentennial as a child. Alex Thomas, arkansasonline.com, 27 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bicentennial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bicentennial was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near bicentennial

Cite this Entry

“Bicentennial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bicentennial. Accessed 20 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

bicentennial

adjective
bi·​cen·​ten·​ni·​al ˌbī-(ˌ)sen-ˈten-ē-əl How to pronounce bicentennial (audio)
: relating to a 200th anniversary
bicentennial noun

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