December

noun

De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər 

dē-

: the 12th month of the Gregorian calendar

Examples of December in a Sentence

Her birthday is in late December.

This December was not as cold as the past few Decembers have been.

Recent Examples on the Web

Social Security benefits would increase beginning with December benefits, which are payable January 2026. —Susan Tompor, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025

The government collapsed in December from a no-confidence vote over budgetary disputes for the first time since 1962, and Barnier was ousted after the shortest tenure in the history of the Fifth Republic. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 9 Sep. 2025

Will and Jada married in December 1997, having met on the set of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. —Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

That led the Browns to trust Szmyt, who’d first joined the roster via the practice squad last December and made his kicks in the preseason. —Zac Jackson, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Decembre, from Old English or Anglo-French, both from Latin December (tenth month), from decem ten — more at ten

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for December

• dismember
• nonmember
• november
• remember
• september
• ember
• member

Kids Definition

December

noun

De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər 

: the twelfth month of the year

Etymology

Middle English Decembre, December "last month of the year," from early French decembre (same meaning), from Latin December, literally, "tenth month," from decem "ten" — related to decimal, dime

Word Origin

In the first calendar used by the ancient Romans, the year began with the month of March. The Romans called the tenth month of the year December, using the Latin word decem, meaning "ten." When the word was borrowed into early French, it became decembre. That was also how it was first spelled when it came into Middle English. In time, however, the English word was changed to match the original Latin in spelling and in having a capital letter.