winters

noun

plural of winter
as in layoffs
a period of often involuntary inactivity or idleness during the long winter when the party was out of power, it had plenty of time to reconsider its political priorities

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of winters People have flocked there from California, Washington and Oregon, taking advantage of Boise's lower cost of living, relatively mild winters, and lively outdoor scene. — Cj Haddad,katie Tarasov, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026 What a typical El Niño winter looks like No two El Niño winters are the same, but most have temperature and precipitation trends in common. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026 Hundreds of commercial flights will be told to change their paths over the northeastern Atlantic Ocean during the next two winters to show how minor altitude adjustments can reduce aviation’s climate impact. — Jennifer McDermott, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026 Strong El Niño events are commonly associated with wet winters for the Golden State. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 18 Aug. 2026 During many El Niño charged winters, the storm track shifts farther south, allowing a surge of Pacific moisture to reach parts of the Southwest and southern Rockies more often. — Dave Aguilera, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 Beilein, who spends his winters in Florida, will share his thoughts on games and practices. — Andrew Kahn, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Aug. 2026 The map below compares snowfall during moderate-to-strong El Niño winters, which is expected this year. — Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 There are infrared heaters under the seating areas to keep fans comfortable in the frigid Buffalo winters. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winters
  1. layoffs
  2. lulls
  3. downtimes
  4. breaks
  5. recesses
  6. pauses
Noun
  • Fueled by mass layoffs, the Bay Area’s tech talent workforce dropped by 6% from 2022 to 2025.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The prospect of losing millions in property tax revenues has triggered a fervent outcry from Democrats and left-leaning local officials who argue local governments would be forced to resort to layoffs and cut core public services.
    — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of layoffs
Noun
  • Parties have exploited lulls in fighting to buy time, rebuild capabilities and consolidate political or territorial gains ahead of the next round of conflict.
    — Anthony Wanis-St John, The Conversation, 10 July 2026
  • Getty Images There are lulls on the PGA Tour calendar, and this is one of those heading into the John Deere Classic this weekend.
    — Jeff Hartman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of lulls
Noun
  • These trends often materialize in batch changeovers, supplier changes, line downtimes and traceability challenges.
    — Ihor Yurchenko, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The average response time for phone calls dropped to 6 minutes from 30 minutes in the prior fiscal year; field office wait times decreased to 23 minutes; and removal of online service downtimes has benefited an additional 125,000 users in a single week, according to the agency's findings.
    — Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
Definition of downtimes
Noun
  • Fritz is a master rebuilder, but the Coogs caught some schedule breaks and won six one-possession games in 2025.
    — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Trust breaks when leaders make bets that fail publicly, or announce cuts that are later reversed.
    — Susan LaMotte, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of breaks
Noun
  • This allegedly caused the cancellation of school recesses, and also ruining weddings and funerals.
    — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Mayor Kevin McCarty’s spokesperson Geneva Jacob did not answer a question about why the recess went on longer than several other recent recesses, citing closed session restrictions.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of recesses
Noun
  • Suddenly, residents and officials in red states and swing districts such as Texas, Mississippi and Ohio are echoing progressive leaders like Bernie Sanders in calling for pauses on new data centers.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Loud, frequent snoring paired with gasping, choking or pauses in breathing may point to obstructive sleep apnea.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of pauses

Browse Nearby Words

winterly
winters
wintriness
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Cite this Entry

“Winters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winters. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of winters for Spanish Speakers

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