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

In December of 2023, the pier was damaged by high tides and large waves, and it was temporarily closed in January of 2024. —John Ramos, CBS News, 7 June 2026

In January, an anti-ICE projection was reposted by Don Lemon to millions of views, and even CNN came calling. —Oren Peleg, HollywoodReporter, 6 June 2026

December 22 – January 19 One modest fix could make daily life feel less demanding. —Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 June 2026

Jameela was born by emergency C-section in January 2024 after her mother, Sekani, began showing symptoms of preeclampsia. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 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.