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

Consumer sentiment fell more than 7 points from December 2018 to January 2019, coinciding with the most recent government shutdown, according to a Committee for Responsible Federal Budget analysis of University of Michigan survey data. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2025

In December 2021, the Treasury Department issued more sanctions against Luna and Marroquin, alleging that the Bukele aides negotiated the secret agreement with the MS-13 gang. —T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025

The streamer says that marks the largest 10-day audience for a pay-one film since December 2023, when Barbie played. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025

Union workers at the JFK location in North Little Rock participated in a nationwide strike in December 2024. —Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 29 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.