October

noun

Oc·​to·​ber äk-ˈtō-bər 

: the 10th month of the Gregorian calendar

Examples of October in a Sentence

She started her job in early October.

He started early in October.

This will be our last October in New England.

Sales are up for this October.

The event happens every October.

Recent Examples on the Web

Victoria Banks woke up from a nap one afternoon in October 2022 to the sound of cicadas buzzing in her head. —Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025

Johnson, 29, was killed during an October 2023 game between two British professional teams, the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 29 Apr. 2025

The Houthis have disrupted a major shipping route with missile attacks on vessels, citing support for Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza in the war since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. —Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025

Per Vogue, they were seen together in October 2024 at the special screening of Goodrich. —Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Octobre, from Old English & Anglo-French; Old English October, from Latin, 8th month of the early Roman calendar, from octo; Anglo-French, from Latin October

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing October

• October surprise

Rhymes for October

• sober
• tober

Kids Definition

October

noun

Oc·​to·​ber äk-ˈtō-bər 

: the tenth month of the year

Etymology

Middle English October, Octobre "the tenth month," from Old English October and early French octobre (both, same meaning), both from Latin October "the eighth month," from octo "eight"

Word Origin

According to its origin, the name October, which we know as the tenth month of the year, really means "eighth month." In the first calendar used in ancient Rome, the year had only ten months, starting in March and ending in December. The extra period between December and March was not considered part of the series of months. Later, when two extra months were added to the calendar, October became the tenth month but kept its old name. The Latin name came into Old English as october and into early French as octobre. It was spelled both ways in Middle English. But in time the influence of Latin fixed the spelling as october.