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

When the presence of immigration enforcement is confirmed on campus, colleges and universities must notify the campus community, per a law in effect till January 2031. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026

The first went up in April 2024, and the second flew in January of this year. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Hanning came under scrutiny in a separate investigation into the abduction of Hamburg businesswoman Christina Block's children from her ex-husband in Denmark in January 2024 in a custody battle that had been going on for several years. — Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026

January is the fine-dining restaurant, and the resort offers a number of additional dining experiences, including The Rambling and Tiffin dinners. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 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.