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

Capricorn December 22 – January 19 A professional question may brush against something more personal today. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 29 Sep. 2026

And Thunberg, who in January 2025 visited the Sahrawi camps with Lamin accompanying and translating for her, spoke plainly about what must change and called out the media for its silence. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026

This is not the first lawsuit filed since UC Davis axed the varsity equestrian team in January. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Snake Killer launched in January, with the four-parter followings a notorious Copenhagen narcotics police unit, Uropatruljen, a heavy-handed force that operated with relative autonomy between 1965 and 2001. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Januarie, from Latin Januarius, 1st month of the ancient Roman year, from Janus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for January

• askari
• astbury
• azeri
• banbury
• barberry
• blackberry
• blueberry
• canary
• cranberry
• dentary
• dewberry
• dogberry

Kids Definition

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.