Black Friday
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Black Friday
Where it comes from
From black (“bad; ill-omened; marked by disaster”) + Friday. Friday has long been considered an unlucky day in ancient superstition. When a Friday coincided with another bad omen, such as falling on the 13th, or was marked by a disaster, it came to be called a Black Friday. In Philadelphia, police later used the term to describe the day after Thanksgiving, when heavy shopping crowds caused severe traffic congestion and chaos. Over time, public relations campaigns promoted a more positive, but inaccurate, explanation for the name. This widely circulated false etymology claimed that Black Friday” referred to the point in the year when retailers shifted from operating at a loss (“in the red”) to making a profit (“in the black”). Despite its popularity, this explanation is an urban legend and was even mistakenly included in sources like Wiktionary for several years.
proper noun Black Fridays
- Any Friday that is literally or figuratively darkened by catastrophe, or the anniversary thereof.
- The conclusion of United States v. Scheinberg on April 15, 2011, after which major online poker sites stopped offering real money play to their United States customers.
- The day after Thanksgiving Day, generally regarded as the first day of the Christmas season, and the busiest shopping day of the year.
- The sales period involving heavy price reductions immediately following Thanksgiving Day, from Friday (the original Black Friday) through Monday (Cyber Monday).
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Synonym of Friday the thirteenth (“a Friday falling on the 13th day of the month (and therefore doubly ill-omened)”).
Similar: Friday the thirteenth
- Good Friday, the Friday before Easter.
Translations
Every language
name day after U.S. Thanksgiving Day
| Español | viernes negro, Black Friday |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 블랙 프라이데이 beullaek peuraidei |
| 日本語 | ブラックフライデー burakkufuraidē |
| 中文 | 黑色星期五 Hēisè Xīngqīwǔ, Hēisè Xīngqíwǔ, 黑五 Hēiwǔ |
| हिन्दी | ब्लैक फ़्राइडे blaik frāiḍe, काला शुक्रवार kālā śukravār |
| Português | Black Friday, Sexta-Feira Negra |
| Français | vendredi fou, vendredi noir, Black Friday |
| Deutsch | Black Friday |
| Română | Vinerea Neagră, Black Friday |
name sales period involving heavy price reductions
| Español | liquidaciones |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 블랙 프라이데이 beullaek peuraidei |
| 日本語 | ブラックフライデー burakkufuraidē |
| 中文 | 黑色星期五 Hēisè Xīngqīwǔ, Hēisè Xīngqíwǔ, 黑五 Hēiwǔ |
| Português | Black Friday |
| Français | vendredi fou |
| Deutsch | Schlussverkauf |
| العربية | الْجُمُعَة السَّوْدَاء, الجُمُعَة الْبَيْضَاء |
Talk about this word "Black Friday." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/black%20friday. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Black Friday. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/black%20friday "Black Friday." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/black%20friday.Cite this
@misc{black_friday_2026,
title = {Black Friday},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/black%20friday},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
