Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day proper noun: an annual festival held in Canada and the USA on February 2 in which the arrival time of the spring season is predicted by whether or not a certain groundhog can see its shadow.
Proper noun
Groundhog Day
- An annual festival held in Canada and the USA on February 2 in which the arrival time of the spring season is predicted by whether or not a certain groundhog can see its shadow.
- The prominence of the groundhog as a popular figure in the country lore of the Eastern States is shown by his having been given a place with the Saints on the calendar, February 2 being widely known as "Groundhog Day." It is claimed that on this date the groundhog wakes from his long winter sleep...1918 May, Edward W. Nelson, “Smaller Mammals of North America”, in National Geographic, volume XXXIII, number 5, page 434
- Many sources claim that the original Groundhog Day took place in 1887, when residents of Punxsutawney set out to Gobbler’s Knob, known as Phil’s “official” home, but the first piece of evidence Yoder found of townspeople trusting a groundhog for the weather, a diary entry, was dated 1840.2023 February 1, Scottie Andrew, “The bizarre history of Groundhog Day”, in CNN, archived from the original on 18 Jul 2024
Noun
Groundhog Day (plural Groundhog Days)
- A situation in which events appear to be repeating themselves in a cyclical fashion.
- Jackson, working on production this summer, sounded very much as if he were missing the trilogy already: "Each movie has a very different tone, feel and structure so I've never really felt like I've been trapped in a Groundhog Day for seven years working on one project."2003, Angie Errigo, The Rough Guide to the Lord of the Rings, Rough Guides, →ISBN, page 137
- Every time I go out I gotta keep my cool and watch my step / It's Groundhog Day when I wake up / 'Cause I find I'm next to you in bed2006, “Are We Friends Or Lovers?”, in Tired of Hanging Around, performed by The Zutons
- Synonyms:
- time loop
Verb
Groundhog Day (third-person singular simple present Groundhog Days, present participle Groundhog Daying, simple past and past participle Groundhog Dayed)
- To live out a situation in which events appear to be repeating themselves in a cyclical fashion.
- When Dis told her about groundhog daying, named after the old movie, she'd underestimated the way the experience would play out for her, going through the same conversations over again, trying different gambits but ending up in the same[…]2017 April 25, Cory Doctorow, Walkaway, Head of Zeus Ltd, →ISBN
Examples of Groundhog Day in a sentence
- Even on the outskirts of Washington some of the countrymen still appraise the character of the coming spring by the weather on "Groundhog Day."1918 May, Edward W. Nelson, “Smaller Mammals of North America”, in National Geographic, volume XXXIII, number 5, page 434:
- Aunt M said doing Christmas cards year after year made her feel like she was trapped in a groundhog day.2011, Cathy Hopkins, Million Dollar Mates: Paparazzi Princess, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:
- Mario, somewhat infamously, is stuck in a Groundhog Day of perpetually having to rescue the princess from Bowser.2011, Jeff Ryan, Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America, Penguin, →ISBN:
- I went on maternity leave in May 2022, […] More than a year later, and it feels like I'm in Groundhog Day.2023 July 26, Stefanie Foster, “Comment: Rebuild trust or it's game over”, in RAIL, number 988, page 3:
Synonyms of Groundhog Day
Forms of Groundhog Day
| Proper noun | |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Groundhog's Day |
| Noun | |
| plural | Groundhog Days |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | Groundhog Days |
| present participle | Groundhog Daying |
| past participle | Groundhog Dayed |
| past | Groundhog Dayed |
Origin of Groundhog Day
From the title of the film Groundhog Day (1993), in which a man is forced to live out the same day over and over in a time loop.
Questions about Groundhog Day
- What does Groundhog Day mean?
- Groundhog Day means an annual festival held in Canada and the USA on February 2 in which the arrival time of the spring season is predicted by whether or not a certain groundhog can see its shadow.
- How do you use Groundhog Day in a sentence?
- Even on the outskirts of Washington some of the countrymen still appraise the character of the coming spring by the weather on "Groundhog Day."
- What part of speech is Groundhog Day?
- Groundhog Day can be a proper noun, a noun or a verb.
Words near Groundhog Day in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Groundhog Day (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “Groundhog Day.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/groundhog_day. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.