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 fight over finances allegedly stemmed from a January 2025 car crash. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

The New York Times reported at the time that some of those deported in the flights in September, December and January were asylum seekers. — ABC News, 7 July 2026

As Boulder, Colorado, ramps up to host its first Sundance Film Festival in January, its hospitality scene is rising to the occasion. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 July 2026

Also in January, the French division of Harlequin, which is part of publisher HarperCollins, announced a trial with an AI translation company. — Zoey Forbes, The Dial, 7 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.