January
noun
Jan·u·ary
ˈjan-yə-ˌwer-ē 
-ˌwe-rē
plural Januaries or Januarys
: the first month of the Gregorian calendar
Examples of January in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Now the race is on to get congestion pricing approved before President-elect Donald Trump, who opposes it, takes office in January.
—
Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
On the morning of January 15, Kwon was crossing Amsterdam Avenue at West 96th Street, a block from our apartment building, when a driver in the center lane slammed into her with his Mercedes.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 13 Nov. 2024
By the time Trump takes office in January, the moratorium will have been on the books for two years.
—Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 13 Nov. 2024
That number has grown steadily—to 22 million in January 2024 and 40 million in May 2024, Variety reports.
—Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
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Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
On the morning of January 15, Kwon was crossing Amsterdam Avenue at West 96th Street, a block from our apartment building, when a driver in the center lane slammed into her with his Mercedes.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 13 Nov. 2024
By the time Trump takes office in January, the moratorium will have been on the books for two years.
—Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 13 Nov. 2024
That number has grown steadily—to 22 million in January 2024 and 40 million in May 2024, Variety reports.
—Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for January
Dictionary Entries Near January
Cite this Entry
“January.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/January. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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January
noun
Jan·u·ary
ˈjan-yə-ˌwer-ē
: the first month of the year
Etymology
from Latin Januarius "first month of the year," from Janus, a Roman god
Word Origin
Among the many gods worshipped by the ancient Romans was one named Janus. He was believed to have two faces, one looking forward and one looking back. Janus was associated with doors, gates, and all beginnings. Because of that, when the Romans changed their calendar and added two months to the beginning of the year, they named the first one Januarius to honor Janus. The English January comes from Latin Januarius.
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