winter

noun

win·ter | \ ˈwin-tər

Definition of winter

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

winter

verb

wintered; wintering\ ˈwin-t(ə-)riŋ

Definition of winter (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

1 : to pass the winter winters in the Caribbean

2 : to feed or find food during the winter —used with on

transitive verb

: to keep, feed, or manage during the winter

winter

adjective

Definition of winter (Entry 3 of 3)

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 More Example Sentences Learn More about winter

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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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

For those who prefer their Monster Jam cold, the annual winter show at the Alamodome is set for Jan. 18-19. — Polly Anna Rocha, ExpressNews.com, "Monster Jam’s first San Antonio summer show features dedicated drivers, record breakers," 4 July 2019 Summer is taking over most of the landscape this week, even as a stubborn winter snowpack remains near the crest. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Sierra campgrounds, lodges open for summer on Highway 88," 4 July 2019 Mission leader Markus Rex said that researchers plan to anchor the German icebreaker RV Polarstern to a large floe and set up camp on the ice as the sea freezes around them, conducting experiments throughout the Arctic winter. — Washington Post, "Scientists to be trapped in ice for year-long Arctic mission," 3 July 2019 Usually, the winter freeze kills off wasp colonies. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Alabama Officials Warn of Horrifying Wasp “Super Nests”," 1 July 2019 As a heavy winter snow melts and runs off the mountains, Colorado’s creeks and rivers are moving rapidly. — Saja Hindi, The Denver Post, "Amid rising death and missing tolls on Colorado rivers, MillerCoors employees jump to action to save woman in Clear Creek," 1 July 2019 The material also must form an airtight seal, and flow at temperatures from scorching desert blacktop to a frigid winter night. — Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, "2020 Ford Explorer's new tires fix themselves, representing a coming trend for drivers," 29 June 2019 Neither of the players, who signed contracts worth a combined $630 million this winter, is likely to make the NL roster as a reserve - chosen by a combination of player balloting and MLB selections - when those are announced Sunday evening. — Dave Sheinin, courant.com, "With All-Star Game starters, who didn’t make cut is as notable as who did," 28 June 2019 Wind power generation tends to be higher in spring and fall, hydroelectric generation usually peaks as winter snow melts, and lengthening days mean more solar power can be fed to the grid. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Renewable electricity beat out coal for the first time in April," 28 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Williamson's love of adventure led him to winter snowboarding in Vail, Colorado, and summer skydiving in Moab, Utah. — David Harten, The Courier-Journal, "Feds probe 'quality' of repairs on plane in Hawaii crash," 23 June 2019 And, as the weather gets colder, there is so much more to cover: how to winter-proof your car, how to drive cautiously in ice and snow, and how to trouble-shoot cold-weather problems. — Jasmin Radoncic, Good Housekeeping, "How to Use Jumper Cables and Jump Start a Car the Right Way," 5 Dec. 2018 Virginia also enjoyed traveling, especially wintering in St. Croix. — courant.com, "Virginia Cowles Holland," 30 May 2018 Along with being able to use your fave shade of Match Stix everywhere, Priscilla has shared how to use highlighter with your lipstick, and the surprising way that facial oils can help winter skin glow. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Prisiclla Ono Shared How to Use Fenty Beauty’s Match Stix to Create an Entire Look," 5 Dec. 2018 Known For: Hollywood stars like Bob Hope began wintering in this desert town in the shadow of Mount San Jacinto in the 1930s. — Kelly Crow, WSJ, "America’s Art Scenes Off the Beaten Track," 15 Sep. 2018 From its wintering grounds in Africa, the bird flies thousands of miles north to Europe to lay eggs in time for the emergence of winter moth caterpillars, which appear for a few weeks each spring to munch on young oak leaves. — Author: Livia Albeck Ripka, Brad Plumer, Anchorage Daily News, "5 plants and animals utterly confused by climate change," 10 Apr. 2018 Sabine Ranch holds some of Texas’ best remaining nesting/brood rearing habitat for mottled ducks, and its wetlands and prairie attract some of the densest concentrations of wintering waterfowl found on the upper Texas coast. — Shannon Tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Major additions in the works for Texas’ public lands," 22 Apr. 2018 After her retirement and raising their children Nancy and Herb spent many wonderful years wintering in Delray Beach Florida with special friends Nate and Elsie. — Hartford Courant, courant.com, "Nancy B. Coman," 11 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Winter visitors can catch a glimpse of the refuge’s migrating tundra swans. — Danielle Ohl, baltimoresun.com, "Weekend adventure: A visitor's guide to Rock Hall and its old-school, waterfront charms," 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, "Gigi Hadid Debuts Short Hair for Stuart Weitzman Campaign," 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, "Gigi Hadid Debuts Short Hair for Stuart Weitzman Campaign," 12 July 2017 In The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes is turned into a weapon with no agency of his own. — Jenna Pearl, Marie Claire, "9 Hidden Feminist Messages in the Marvel Cinematic Universe," 5 June 2017 Winter Carnival events for Feb. 3 and 4 will be announced later. — Kathy Berdan, Twin Cities, "Eyeing Super Bowl, St. Paul supersizes Winter Carnival to 17 days," 25 May 2017 Winter wheat and barley now lag about a week in development, compared to the last several years, according to Liza Malyshko, an analyst at UkrAgroConsult in Kiev. — Anatoly Medetsky, Bloomberg.com, "Chilly Weather Risks Delaying Black Sea Wheat, Barley Harvest," 23 May 2017 Winter color is maroon, with red tones across the green leaves in summer. — Neil Sperry, star-telegram, "Plan(t) on these top 10 best groundcover choices," 16 May 2017 Winter storm warnings are even posted in Northeastern Washington. — Paul P. Murphy, CNN, "Storm rejects springtime, dumps snow in Pacific Northwest," 16 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'winter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.