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

The movie will be released on Blu-Ray/DVD and for digital download in late December. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Nov. 2025

Bangladesh’s government has plans to hand over the management of multiple hubs, including Chattogram’s largest terminal, New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), to foreign operators by December. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 3 Nov. 2025

Senators are actively discussing a deal that would reopen the government, including hashing out a new stopgap funding bill that would last at least until December — and possibly beyond. —Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025

The brand, which had been owned at one time by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, was purchased last December by Icon Luxury Group and CP Brands Group in a joint venture partnership. —Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 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.