1
: the season between autumn and spring comprising in the northern hemisphere usually the months of December, January, and February or as reckoned astronomically extending from the December solstice to the March equinox
2
: the colder half of the year
3
: year
happened many winters ago
4
: a period of inactivity or decay
wintered; wintering
ˈwin-t(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to pass the winter
winters in the Caribbean
2
: to feed or find food during the winter
—used with on
: to keep, feed, or manage during the winter
1
: of, relating to, or suitable for winter
a winter vacation
winter clothes
2
: sown in the autumn and harvested in the following spring or summer
winter wheat
winter rye
compare summer
Synonyms
Examples of winter in a Sentence
Noun
They spend winters in Florida.
We're in for a cold winter this year, I hear.
She traveled there two winters ago.
the last day of winter
Verb
The birds will winter in the southern part of the country.
My family winters in Florida.
The farm agreed to winter our horses for us.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2023
Every winter, most North American hummingbirds embark on a strenuous journey South.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2023
They aren’t expected to be one of the teams that make a nine-figure offer to Ohtani this winter.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
When wild boars consume the truffles in winter, their radioactivity levels increase, per the Post.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Sep. 2023
Here, snow sports dominate in the winter while hiking, wine tours, and the arts thrive year-round.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 13 Sep. 2023
For as long as anyone can remember, this river originating high in the Beaverhead mountain range had always been clogged with ice and deep snow every winter, preventing the start of fishing season until June.
—Jim Robbins, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023
Will the current increase in COVID-19 cases continue through winter?
—Julie Washington, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
In the fall and winter, Springsteen and the band, when healthy, are back in North America.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 12 Sep. 2023
Franz Lidz, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
The wintering population is lower, with around 4,000 elk.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 23 Aug. 2023
But a sighting in December, when Baltimore orioles are wintering in Florida, the Caribbean, Central America and the northern tip of South America, would not fit.
—The New York Times Elaine Chen Emily Anthes, New York Times, 18 May 2023
Bird lovers flock to Klamath Falls for its location along the Pacific Flyway, attracting more than 350 avian species annually, including American white pelicans during the summer and the largest concentration of wintering bald eagles in the lower 48.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2023
Birds that once wintered at Tulare Lake — ibises, blackbirds and American coots — are returning in increasing numbers.
—Shawn Hubler, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2023
The annual monarch population report released last week showed the number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains of central Mexico dropped by 22%.
—Suzanne Baker, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2023
But in just one year, the population of monarch butterflies wintering in those hillsides dropped 22 percent, according to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Mexico report released last week.
—Naomi Schanen, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2023
In addition, doctors can no longer have remote sessions with patients physically located in a state where the doctor doesn’t hold a license, adding a barrier for patients in New Hampshire who have Boston doctors and Massachusetts residents who winter in Florida.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Mar. 2023
Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2023
Though convention might tell us to spruce and upgrade our space in the spring (alongside a feverish amount of post-winter cleaning), there is a case to be made for elevating your home right now, mid-fall and pre-holidays.
—PEOPLE.com, 16 Nov. 2021
The park usually has a post-winter cleanup day for staff around Earth Day but hadn’t done one for the public before, officials said.
—Amy Lavalley, chicagotribune.com, 22 Apr. 2021
That means four seasons of activities, all building on what Buck Hill already does post-winter: concerts, car shows, mountain biking and catered events.
—Lee Svitak Dean, Star Tribune, 14 Sep. 2020
Winter visitors can catch a glimpse of the refuge’s migrating tundra swans.
—Danielle Ohl, baltimoresun.com, 3 Aug. 2017
Gigi appears in Stuart Weitzman's Fall/Winter 2017 campaign in the sleekest boots (including The Cling Bootie), bright pink blush, and a Shay Ashual wig that totally fooled us at first glance.
—Sarah Wu, Allure, 12 July 2017
Gigi appeared in Stuart Weitzman's Fall/Winter 2017 campaign in the sleekest boots (including The Cling Bootie), bright pink blush, and a Shay Ashual wig that totally fooled us at first glance.
—Sarah Wu, Teen Vogue, 12 July 2017
In The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes is turned into a weapon with no agency of his own.
—Jenna Pearl, Marie Claire, 5 June 2017
See More
Noun
On Tuesday night, several Assembly members expressed interest in using the Solid Waste Services administrative building this winter as a shelter.
—Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2023
Every winter, most North American hummingbirds embark on a strenuous journey South.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2023
They aren’t expected to be one of the teams that make a nine-figure offer to Ohtani this winter.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
When wild boars consume the truffles in winter, their radioactivity levels increase, per the Post.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Sep. 2023
Here, snow sports dominate in the winter while hiking, wine tours, and the arts thrive year-round.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 13 Sep. 2023
For as long as anyone can remember, this river originating high in the Beaverhead mountain range had always been clogged with ice and deep snow every winter, preventing the start of fishing season until June.
—Jim Robbins, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023
Will the current increase in COVID-19 cases continue through winter?
—Julie Washington, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
In the fall and winter, Springsteen and the band, when healthy, are back in North America.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 12 Sep. 2023
Verb
The lake and seasonal swamps that nearly covered the valley provided fish and an abundance of birds, most of them wintering waterfowl.
—Franz Lidz, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
The wintering population is lower, with around 4,000 elk.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 23 Aug. 2023
But a sighting in December, when Baltimore orioles are wintering in Florida, the Caribbean, Central America and the northern tip of South America, would not fit.
—The New York Times Elaine Chen Emily Anthes, New York Times, 18 May 2023
Bird lovers flock to Klamath Falls for its location along the Pacific Flyway, attracting more than 350 avian species annually, including American white pelicans during the summer and the largest concentration of wintering bald eagles in the lower 48.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2023
Birds that once wintered at Tulare Lake — ibises, blackbirds and American coots — are returning in increasing numbers.
—Shawn Hubler, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2023
The annual monarch population report released last week showed the number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains of central Mexico dropped by 22%.
—Suzanne Baker, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2023
But in just one year, the population of monarch butterflies wintering in those hillsides dropped 22 percent, according to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Mexico report released last week.
—Naomi Schanen, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2023
In addition, doctors can no longer have remote sessions with patients physically located in a state where the doctor doesn’t hold a license, adding a barrier for patients in New Hampshire who have Boston doctors and Massachusetts residents who winter in Florida.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Mar. 2023
Adjective
Winter weather in North Dakota, Minnesota People in northern North Dakota and Minnesota can expect to see snow with some winter advisories in effect through Friday night.
—Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2023
Though convention might tell us to spruce and upgrade our space in the spring (alongside a feverish amount of post-winter cleaning), there is a case to be made for elevating your home right now, mid-fall and pre-holidays.
—PEOPLE.com, 16 Nov. 2021
The park usually has a post-winter cleanup day for staff around Earth Day but hadn’t done one for the public before, officials said.
—Amy Lavalley, chicagotribune.com, 22 Apr. 2021
That means four seasons of activities, all building on what Buck Hill already does post-winter: concerts, car shows, mountain biking and catered events.
—Lee Svitak Dean, Star Tribune, 14 Sep. 2020
Winter visitors can catch a glimpse of the refuge’s migrating tundra swans.
—Danielle Ohl, baltimoresun.com, 3 Aug. 2017
Gigi appears in Stuart Weitzman's Fall/Winter 2017 campaign in the sleekest boots (including The Cling Bootie), bright pink blush, and a Shay Ashual wig that totally fooled us at first glance.
—Sarah Wu, Allure, 12 July 2017
Gigi appeared in Stuart Weitzman's Fall/Winter 2017 campaign in the sleekest boots (including The Cling Bootie), bright pink blush, and a Shay Ashual wig that totally fooled us at first glance.
—Sarah Wu, Teen Vogue, 12 July 2017
In The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes is turned into a weapon with no agency of his own.
—Jenna Pearl, Marie Claire, 5 June 2017
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'winter.' 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, from Old English; akin to Old High German wintar winter and perhaps to Lithuanian vanduo water, Old English wæter — more at water
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of winter was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing winter
Dictionary Entries Near winter
Cite this Entry
“Winter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/winter. Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
winter
1 of 3 noun
win·ter
ˈwint-ər
1
: the season between autumn and spring usually including in the northern half of the globe the months of December, January, and February
2
: year sense 2
happened many winters ago
3
: a time or season of idleness or decay
winter
2 of 3 verb
wintered; wintering
ˈwint-ə-riŋ
ˈwin-triŋ
1
: to pass or live through the winter
the cattle wintered on the range
2
: to keep, feed, or manage during the winter
winter livestock
winter
3 of 3 adjective1
: of, relating to, or suitable for winter
winter clothes
2
: sown in autumn and harvested in the following spring or summer
winter wheat
More from Merriam-Webster on winter
Nglish: Translation of winter for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of winter for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about winter
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share