January

noun

Jan·​u·​ary ˈjan-yə-ˌwer-ē 

-ˌwe-rē

plural Januaries or Januarys

: the first month of the Gregorian calendar

Examples of January in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The president still plans to hike tariffs on Canadian autos in January, the official said, unless the countries can reach an agreement before then. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2026

The do-it-all former four-star safety left in January for Oregon. — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Performances will take place in January at Naperville Central High School. — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026

Juan Solano was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer in January 2025. — Angus Chen, STAT, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Januarie, from Latin Januarius, 1st month of the ancient Roman year, from Janus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for January

• askari
• astbury
• azeri
• banbury
• barberry
• blackberry
• blueberry
• canary
• cranberry
• dentary
• dewberry
• dogberry

Kids Definition

January

noun

Jan·​u·​ary ˈjan-yə-ˌwer-ē 

: the first month of the year

Etymology

from Latin Januarius "first month of the year," from Janus, a Roman god

Word Origin

Among the many gods worshipped by the ancient Romans was one named Janus. He was believed to have two faces, one looking forward and one looking back. Janus was associated with doors, gates, and all beginnings. Because of that, when the Romans changed their calendar and added two months to the beginning of the year, they named the first one Januarius to honor Janus. The English January comes from Latin Januarius.