December

noun

De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər 

dē-

: the 12th month of the Gregorian calendar

Examples of December in a Sentence

Her birthday is in late December.

This December was not as cold as the past few Decembers have been.

Recent Examples on the Web

The owners are widely expected to pursue a salary cap and to ultimately lock out the players when the collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2026. —Evan Drellich, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025

Although Giving Tuesday takes place on December 2, charities are always open to donations throughout the year. —Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Dec. 2025

Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania following a days-long manhunt after United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was fatally shot December 4, 2024, on a busy sidewalk in midtown Manhattan. —Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025

December isn't often thought of as a gardening month. —Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Decembre, from Old English or Anglo-French, both from Latin December (tenth month), from decem ten — more at ten

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for December

• dismember
• nonmember
• november
• remember
• september
• ember
• member

Kids Definition

December

noun

De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər 

: the twelfth month of the year

Etymology

Middle English Decembre, December "last month of the year," from early French decembre (same meaning), from Latin December, literally, "tenth month," from decem "ten" — related to decimal, dime

Word Origin

In the first calendar used by the ancient Romans, the year began with the month of March. The Romans called the tenth month of the year December, using the Latin word decem, meaning "ten." When the word was borrowed into early French, it became decembre. That was also how it was first spelled when it came into Middle English. In time, however, the English word was changed to match the original Latin in spelling and in having a capital letter.