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
Jaire Alexander #23 of the Green Bay Packers reacts to an interception during the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at AT&T Stadium on January 14, 2024 in Arlington, Texas.
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Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025
The script for the show, which Lynch completed prior to his death at age 78 in January 2025, might still be released as a book instead.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 June 2025
The company’s troubles began escalating with a dramatic midair incident on January 9, 2024, when a cabin side panel detached from an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 during Flight 1282.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
In January, reports from tech newsletter Faked Up and outlet 404Media found that CrushAI had published thousands of ads on Instagram and Facebook and that 90% of the app’s traffic was coming from Meta’s platforms.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 12 June 2025
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Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025
The script for the show, which Lynch completed prior to his death at age 78 in January 2025, might still be released as a book instead.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 June 2025
The company’s troubles began escalating with a dramatic midair incident on January 9, 2024, when a cabin side panel detached from an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 during Flight 1282.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
In January, reports from tech newsletter Faked Up and outlet 404Media found that CrushAI had published thousands of ads on Instagram and Facebook and that 90% of the app’s traffic was coming from Meta’s platforms.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for January
Cite this Entry
“January.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/January. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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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.
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