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

In time for the fall semester, 7 Brew Coffee opened its second walk-through location near The Ohio State University. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025

Each spring, at the close of the semester, the best work from graduating students from the Fashion Institute of Technology's Fashion Design Bachelor of Fine Arts program is chosen to participate in The Future of Fashion. —Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Downs said the university had already done so for at least one semester prior to the enactment of the law. —Nathan Ansell, Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2025

After a semester in Raton, Velasco moved to the Zuni reservation in New Mexico, where challenges persisted. —Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 7 Sep. 2025

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