winter

verb

wintered; wintering ˈwin-t(ə-)riŋ 

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

Examples of winter in a Sentence

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

Last year, the number of wintering flamingos in Venice peaked at a record of nearly 24,000. —ABC News, 30 May 2026

Farther north, Cape plumbago can be planted as an annual or container plant wintered indoors (dormant or as a houseplant). —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 May 2026

Many areas have a hard time over-wintering lavender. —Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 9 May 2026

Audubon volunteer monitors have logged more than 1,600 hours in watching, studying and determining where the local pair has wintered. —Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing winter

• dead of winter
• nuclear winter
• the depth of winter
• winter aconite
• winter crookneck
• winter flounder
• winter-kill
• winter melon
• winter quarters
• winter savory
• winter sport
• winter squash

Rhymes for winter

• minter
• printer
• sinter
• splinter
• sprinter
• midwinter
• reenter
• overwinter
• teleprinter

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 adjective

1

: of, relating to, or suitable for winter

winter clothes

2

: sown in autumn and harvested in the following spring or summer

winter wheat