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

Munster, who has extensively researched Ebola, was locked out of his lab soon after the January detention. — CNN Money, 22 July 2026

The Obama administration designated Haiti for TPS in January 2010 after an earthquake killed 316,000 people, as reported by the Haitian government. — Jay Weaver july 22, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026

In January 2026, the Swiss Federal Tribunal sent the Barbosu-Chiles bronze medal dispute back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for re-examination after accepting new video evidence submitted by Chiles and USA Gymnastics. — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

In January, the United States carried out a military operation in Venezuela to capture and bring Maduro and his wife to the United States to face charges including narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 22 July 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.