Indian summer

noun

1
: a period of warm or mild weather in late autumn or early winter
2
: a happy or flourishing period occurring toward the end of something
the crowning performance of the Indian summer of her careerOctavio Roca

Examples of Indian summer in a Sentence

She is in the Indian summer of her career.
Recent Examples on the Web An Indian summer may last just a few days or more than a week. Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 8 Oct. 2023 Laura: Because while there are a lot of theories about why the term Indian summer came to be used, some of them are derogatory, and this one in particular is that this weather is a trick. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 25 Oct. 2022 But hearing the German clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, who must have been an astonishing musician, inspired a glorious Indian summer of creation. Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 15 Mar. 2022 Love had surprised them in their sixties, like an Indian summer. Michael E. Miller, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Indian summer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Indian summer was in 1790

Dictionary Entries Near Indian summer

Cite this Entry

“Indian summer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Indian%20summer. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

Indian summer

noun
: a period of mild weather in late autumn or early winter

More from Merriam-Webster on Indian summer

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!