Vocabulary · British culture
Boxing Day in English
B1
Boxing Day in English: the British holiday after Christmas, its Victorian origins, the big sales, football and horse racing, and the family meal of leftovers. With British pronunciation (IPA) and examples.
Quick answer
The holiday and its origins
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Boxing Day(n.)“Boxing Day is on December 26th.” | the British holiday on 26 December | /ˈbɒksɪŋ deɪ/ |
| bank holiday(n.) | an official day off in the UK | /bæŋk ˈhɒlɪdeɪ/ |
| Christmas box(n.)“Servants got a Christmas box on December 26th.” | a gift once given to servants | /ˈkrɪsməs bɒks/ |
| tradition(n.) | a custom passed down for many years | /trəˈdɪʃən/ |
| servant(n.) | a person who works in someone's home | /ˈsɜːvənt/ |
| Victorian era(n.) | the time of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) | /vɪkˈtɔːriən ˈɪərə/ |
Sales and shopping
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| sales(n.)“Boxing Day sales are huge in the UK.” | a time when shops lower their prices | /seɪlz/ |
| discount(n.) | a lower price than usual | /ˈdɪskaʊnt/ |
| bargain(n.) | something you buy for a good price | /ˈbɑːɡɪn/ |
| shopping spree(n.) | a time when you buy lots of things | /ˈʃɒpɪŋ spriː/ |
| queue(n.) | a line of people who wait | /kjuː/ |
| high street(n.) | the main shopping street of a town | /haɪ striːt/ |
| shop window(n.) | the glass at the front of a store | /ʃɒp ˈwɪndəʊ/ |
Sport and tradition
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League(n.) | England's top football competition | /prəˈmɪə liːɡ/ |
| football match(n.) | a game between two teams of eleven | /ˈfʊtbɔːl mætʃ/ |
| fixture(n.) | a sports match on a fixed date | /ˈfɪkstʃə/ |
| horse racing(n.) | races between horses ridden by jockeys | /hɔːs ˈreɪsɪŋ/ |
| fox hunting(n.) | chasing foxes with dogs, now mostly banned | /fɒks ˈhʌntɪŋ/ |
| rugby(n.) | a team sport with an oval ball | /ˈrʌɡbi/ |
Family and food
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| leftovers(n.)“We eat turkey leftovers on Boxing Day.” | food that is not eaten at a meal | /ˈleftəʊvəz/ |
| turkey(n.) | a large bird eaten at Christmas | /ˈtɜːki/ |
| pudding(n.) | a sweet dish after the main meal | /ˈpʊdɪŋ/ |
| mince pie(n.) | a small sweet pie with dried fruit | /mɪns paɪ/ |
| family gathering(n.) | a time when relatives meet | /ˈfæməli ˈɡæðərɪŋ/ |
| Christmas pudding(n.) | a rich fruit dessert eaten at Christmas | /ˈkrɪsməs ˈpʊdɪŋ/ |
| to relax(v.) | to rest and feel calm | /rɪˈlæks/ |
Common mistakes to avoid
Boxing Day has nothing to do with boxing
A common mistake is to think that Boxing Day comes from boxing (the sport). It does not. The name comes from Christmas boxes: in Victorian times, rich families gave these gift boxes to their servants on 26 December.
Bank holiday: not just a day for banks
In the UK, a bank holiday is an official public holiday for everyone, not only a day when banks close. Boxing Day is a bank holiday in the whole UK, and a public holiday in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. People do not celebrate it in the United States.
Practice quiz
Related pages: Boxing Day
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
What's next?
Boxing Day: learn these words for good
Learning a long list by heart and forgetting it a few days later? With PLAY, you review the words at the right moment (spaced repetition), so they stay in your head.
Review “Boxing Day” on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachers“Boxing Day” vocabulary, ready for your lessons
The Academy groups these words into topic-based sequences, with quizzes and practice in context: your students remember the words, and you have nothing to mark.
Discover the Academy30-day free trial · No bank card needed
English contestThe “Boxing Day” topic is part of the contest vocabulary
Every year, the English contest uses a wide range of cultural topics. Register your students so they can see what they really remember.
Register my students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Frequently asked questions
When is Boxing Day?+
Boxing Day is on 26 December, the day after Christmas Day. It is a public holiday (bank holiday) in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most Commonwealth countries. In Ireland, 26 December is also a holiday, but its name is St Stephen's Day. People do not celebrate it in the United States.
Why is it called Boxing Day?+
The name comes from Christmas boxes: in Victorian times, rich families gave boxes with gifts or money to their servants on 26 December, their day off. It has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. Over time, this custom became an official holiday.
What do people do on Boxing Day in the UK?+
There are three main activities. (1) People go to the Boxing Day sales, with big discounts in the shops. (2) They watch Premier League football matches: it is a traditional match day. (3) Families eat the leftovers of the Christmas turkey together.
Is Boxing Day celebrated in the US?+
No. Boxing Day is a tradition of Britain and the Commonwealth. In the United States, 26 December is a normal day. There is one exception: when Christmas falls on a Sunday, Monday 26 December becomes the day off. American shops still have after-Christmas sales from this date.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/vocabulary/boxing-day
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.