February

noun

Feb·​ru·​ary ˈfe-b(y)ə-ˌwer-ē  ˈfe-brə- 

plural Februaries or Februarys

: the second month of the Gregorian calendar

How do you pronounce February?: Usage Guide

Dissimilation may occur when a word contains two identical or closely related sounds, resulting in the change or loss of one of them. This happens regularly in February, which is more often pronounced \ˈfe-b(y)ə-ˌwer-ē\ than \ˈfe-brə-ˌwer-ē\, though all of these variants are in frequent use and widely accepted. The \y\ heard from many speakers is not an intrusion but rather a common pronunciation of the vowel u after a consonant, as in January and annual.

Examples of February in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Quero, a switch hitter from Cuba, was signed for $200,000 in February, 2021. —Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025

Sony Pictures Animation is releasing GOAT in collaboration with the NBA theatrically on February 13, 2026, timed to the NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, which runs Feb. 13–15. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025

Glossip had been on death row for more than two decades when the Supreme Court in February ruled 5-3 that violations of his due process rights entitled him to a new trial. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 9 June 2025

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index edged up by 0.1% and is within 2.3% of its record, which was set in February. —Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Februarie, from Old English Februarius, from Latin, from Februa, plural, feast of purification

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for February

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

Kids Definition

February

noun

Feb·​ru·​ary ˈfeb-(y)ə-ˌwer-ē  ˈfeb-rə- 

: the second month of the year

Etymology

Old English Februarius "February," from Latin Februarius "February," literally, "of Februa," from Februa "feast of cleansing"

Word Origin

Every winter the ancient Romans would celebrate a festival of spiritual cleansing. The name of the festival was Februa. Because of its importance the Romans named the month in which it fell Februarius, which means "of Februa." The English name February comes from the Latin Februarius.