autumn

noun

au·​tumn ˈȯ-təm 

1

: the season between summer and winter comprising in the northern hemisphere usually the months of September, October, and November or as reckoned astronomically extending from the September equinox to the December solstice

called also fall

2

: a period of maturity or incipient decline

in the autumn of life

Synonyms of autumn

• age
• afternoon
• twilight
• evening
• winter

Examples of autumn in a Sentence

in the autumn of last year

a magnificent New England autumn

She went off to college in the autumn of 1999.

When autumn came he planted grass.

Recent Examples on the Web

In autumn, leaves and litter clog the storm drains; even a light shower can turn her block into a bathtub. —Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

On shrill winter nights, Moscow’s power is conspicuous, its Orthodox cathedrals and Stalinist high-rises illuminated, though the view falls dim in the autumn and spring, shrouded in sheets of greige. —Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026

Dogwoods are deciduous with some of the most spectacular red fall color leaves in autumn. —Campbell Vaughn, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026

As temperatures drop and autumn gives way to the seemingly ceaseless snows of winter, some animals in northerly climes exchange their pelage or plumage of summer drab for the purest white. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English autumpne, borrowed from Anglo-French autompne, borrowed from Latin autumnus (also an adjective, "autumnal"), perhaps a borrowing from Etruscan

Note: Ernout and Meillet (Dictionaire étymologique de la langue latine) regard an Etruscan origin as definite ("sans doute") and compare the form to Vertumnus/Vortumnus, claimed by Varro to be an Etruscan god. (The Romans regarded Vertumnus as a god of the changing seasons, by association with the verb vertere "to turn.")

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing autumn

• autumn crocus

Rhymes for autumn

• bottom
• scrotum

Kids Definition

autumn

noun

au·​tumn ˈȯt-əm 

1

: the season between summer and winter including in the northern hemisphere usually the months of September, October, and November

called also fall

2

: a time late in an existence

in the autumn of life

autumnal

ȯ-ˈtəm-nəl 

adjective