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 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 The license plates were meant to commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. Michael Laris, Washington Post, 2 June 2023 On July 4, 1976, as the United States celebrated its bicentennial, an Air France flight taking off from Tel Aviv was diverted to Entebbe, Uganda, by Palestinian and German terrorists. Ruth Margalit, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2023 The security in Boston was the tightest of anywhere during her six-day US visit to coincide with the nation’s bicentennial. Kevin Cullen, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2022

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 28 Mar. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on bicentennial

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