season

1 of 2

noun

sea·son ˈsē-zᵊn

Synonyms of season next

: a time characterized by a particular circumstance or feature

in a season of religious awakening—

F. A. Christie

: a suitable or natural time or occasion

when my season comes to sit on David's throne—

John Milton

: an indefinite period of time : while

sent home again to her father for a season—

Francis Hackett

: a period of the year characterized by or associated with a particular activity or phenomenon

hay fever season

: such as

(1)

: a period associated with some phase or activity of agriculture (such as growth or harvesting)

(2)

: a period in which an animal engages in some activity (such as migrating or mating)

also : estrus, heat

(3)

: the period normally characterized by a particular kind of weather

a long rainy season

(4)

: a period marked by special activity especially in some field

tourist season

hunting season

(5)

: a period in which a place is most frequented

: one of the four quarters into which the year is commonly divided

: the time of a major holiday

: a period of time when a series of new television shows, plays, etc., are being shown or performed

a show entering its second season

the first/best episode of the season

the season's final performance

: year

a boy of seven seasons

[Middle English sesoun, from sesounen to season] : seasoning

: the schedule of official games played or to be played by a sports team during a playing season

got through the season undefeated

: offseason

closed for the season

season

2 of 2

verb

seasoned; seasoning ˈsēz-niŋ

ˈsē-zᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

: to give (food) more flavor or zest by adding seasoning or savory ingredients

: to give a distinctive quality to as if by seasoning

especially : to make more agreeable

advice seasoned with wit

archaic : to qualify by admixture : temper

: to treat (something, such as wood or a skillet) so as to prepare for use

: to make fit by experience

a seasoned veteran

intransitive verb

: to become seasoned

Phrases

in season

: at the right time

: at the stage of greatest fitness (as for eating)

peaches are in season

: legally available to be hunted or caught

out of season

: not in season

Example Sentences

Noun I enjoy watching the seasons change every year. These plants have a short growing season. Deer season starts next week. Monsoon season is coming soon. This season's fashions are very feminine. Pink is in style this season. The theater company will be putting on plays by Shakespeare this season. one of the shows in the network's season lineup Verb You must season the firewood. the chef seasoned the vegetables as soon as they came out of the oven See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

By his standards, Oswego’s Tyler Stack has had an up-and-down season offensively. —

Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2023 Now, the actress returns to that Y2K nostalgia as an executive producer of Freeform’s Cruel Summer, now in its second season. —

Sydney Odman, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 June 2023 The Gaels, a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament, finished last season 27-8 and lost to XU's Big East rival, UConn, in the second round of the NCAA tournament. —

Dave Clark, The Enquirer, 1 June 2023 This Emmy season, four series offer thoughtful variations on the theme of global doom. —

Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2023 The National Hurricane Center season is tracking a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. —

Li Cohen, CBS News, 1 June 2023 And although Monaco isn’t known for its architecture, new refurbishments are making sure the historic principality is looking its best in time for the summer season. —

Nicola Leigh Stewart, Robb Report, 1 June 2023 Now Andor is slowly making its way to that destination, as the second and final season will premiere in August 2024. —

Devan Coggan, EW.com, 1 June 2023 Talk to me about Roy and Jamie’s friendship this season. —

Brooke Lamantia, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 June 2023

Verb

Pit Boss also offers a ceramic griddle, perfect for people who don't want to fuss with seasoning their grill. —

goodhousekeeping.com, 1 June 2023 Season one followed the eldest daughter, Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and her romance with a Duke, Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page) and season two of Bridgerton detailed the enemies-to-lovers story of Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley). —

Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 25 May 2023 John Legend and Gwen Stefani will also be back as coaches, as will season 23 newcomer Niall Horan, NBC confirmed during an upfront presentation Monday. —

Jessica Wang, EW.com, 15 May 2023 Luckily, seasoning cast-iron cookware is incredibly easy, says Ross. —

Emma Bazilian, House Beautiful, 12 May 2023 When does season 2 of 'Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi' come to Hulu? —

Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 8 May 2023 To seasoned New Yorkers, the presence of a roach is not shocking – but still unwelcome. —

Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, 2 May 2023 Ramasoot’s sauce is a deep brown condiment with a soybean paste base, seasoned with fish sauce, brown sugar, fresh garlic, chile and ginger. —

Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2023 They’re also ground up and used in a kind of seasoning salt mixture that tastes smoky, Kawahara says. —

Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 27 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'season.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sesoun, from Anglo-French seison natural season, appropriate time, from Latin sation-, satio action of sowing, from serere to sow — more at sow

Verb

Middle English sesounen, back-formation from sesounde flavored, from Anglo-French seisoné brought to a desired state, from seison

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of season was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century