bimonthly

1 of 3

adjective

bi·​month·​ly (ˌ)bī-ˈmən(t)th-lē How to pronounce bimonthly (audio)
1
: occurring every two months
2
: occurring twice a month : semimonthly
What do bimonthly and biweekly mean?: Usage Guide

Many people are puzzled about bimonthly and biweekly, which are often ambiguous because they are formed from two different senses of bi-: "occurring every two" and "occurring two times." This ambiguity has been in existence for nearly a century and a half and cannot be eliminated by the dictionary. The chief difficulty is that many users of these words assume that others know exactly what they mean, and they do not bother to make their context clear. So if you need bimonthly or biweekly, you should leave some clues in your context to the sense of bi- you mean. And if you need the meaning "twice a," you can substitute semi- for bi-. Biannual and biennial are usually differentiated.

bimonthly

2 of 3

adverb

1
: once every two months
2
: twice a month

bimonthly

3 of 3

noun

: a bimonthly publication

Examples of bimonthly in a Sentence

Adjective Undercover officers attended and videotaped some of the weekly or bimonthly fights held at eight secluded sites in Harris County. Jennifer Leahy & Roma Khanna, Houston Chronicle, 16 Nov. 2008
Computer Book Review, a bimonthly magazine, carries reviews of 45-50 books in computer-related fields in each issue.  … In the November/December issue, the Review publishes an annual buying guide containing summaries of the year's reviews. Publishers Weekly, 3 June 1983
The group holds bimonthly meetings in January, March, May, and so on. The group holds bimonthly meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Adverb Opponents argued that the change is unnecessary and that it could result both in less productivity for the council and confusion for residents accustomed to watching council meetings on television. Supporters countered that meeting bimonthly will allow for lengthy subcommittee discussions on the off weeks. Subcommittee meetings also are televised live. Michael Lafleur, Lowell (Massachusetts) Sun, 14 May 2008
This column will now appear bimonthly beginning with the March 15 issue.  … we think we can cover quite handily the year's work from Christian publishers in six columns, leaving some space in the unscheduled months for the occasional feature column, such as a roundup of best books. Booklist, 15 Jan. 1995
Noun The original five Mental Floss staffers had no journalistic experience, except for one kid who'd worked on his high-school newspaper. Now they run a bimonthly with 10,000 subscribers and a newsstand presence of 50,000 copies. Mary Carmichael, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2002
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Screenshot courtesy of Nena Farrell Packed Calendar The new Books of Power come from a new calendar event: the bimonthly Bookseller. Nena Farrell, WIRED, 6 Nov. 2024 The bimonthly intravenous infusion was a miracle drug to me. Nick Blackmer, Verywell Health, 22 Oct. 2024
Adverb
My paycheck frequency also varies, from weekly to bimonthly. R29 Team, refinery29.com, 18 Oct. 2024 Debt: $0 Paycheck amount (bimonthly): $2,280 Pronouns: She/her Monthly Expenses Housing costs: $1,266 to rent a three-bedroom apartment with two roommates. R29 Team, refinery29.com, 5 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bimonthly 

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bimonthly was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near bimonthly

Cite this Entry

“Bimonthly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bimonthly. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

bimonthly

1 of 3 adjective
bi·​month·​ly (ˈ)bī-ˈmən(t)th-lē How to pronounce bimonthly (audio)
1
: occurring every two months
2
: occurring twice a month : semimonthly

bimonthly

2 of 3 adverb
1
: once every two months
2
: twice a month

bimonthly

3 of 3 noun
: a bimonthly publication

More from Merriam-Webster on bimonthly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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