semester

noun

se·​mes·​ter sə-ˈme-stər 

1

: either of the two usually 18-week periods of instruction into which an academic year is often divided

2

: a period of six months

semestral

sə-ˈme-strəl 

adjective

or semestrial

sə-ˈme-strē-əl 

Examples of semester in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The decision left Leon scrambling to figure out how to pay for her final semester instead of looking forward to it. — Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026

Benton left a semester early in her senior year to play Nabulungi in the national tour of The Book of Mormon. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

At Colorado State University in Fort Collins, a bear during the fall semester move-in had to be caught and released elsewhere. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026

The university noted that in 2019, Illinois passed a law requiring a semester of civics education for public school students from grades six through eight. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

German, from Latin semestris half-yearly, from sex six + mensis month — more at six, moon

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing semester

• semester hour

Rhymes for semester

• ancestor
• arrester
• digester
• investor
• protester
• requester
• sequester
• silvester
• trimester
• ester
• esther
• fester

Kids Definition

semester

noun

se·​mes·​ter sə-ˈmes-tər 

: either of two terms of about 18 weeks each that make up a school year