winter

1 of 3

noun

win·​ter ˈwin-tər How to pronounce winter (audio)
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

2 of 3

verb

wintered; wintering ˈwin-t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce winter (audio)

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

3 of 3

adjective

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

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
This area, which includes the New York and Castle mountains, catches precipitation in both summer and winter. Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 The purpose of the 24-hour gathering was to bid farewell to winter and usher in the warmth of spring with fire, food, and festivities. Sarah Wood, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2024 Always keep in mind that what is a competitive price for summer or winter, is not necessarily a competitive price for traveling in low season. Wilson Santiago Burgos, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 But interest is growing in local mushrooms and our past two wet winters are likely helping that. Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 Viele was a frequent partner in the Papago Park batting cages this winter. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024 Plants grown in greenhouses can be forced for winter bloom. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024 Here are seven white wines that are perfect to enjoy in late winter and early spring. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024 Picture show Evan Russel For a couple of weeks in winter, the sun hits the waters of Horsetail Fall in California's Yosemite National Park just right. Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry left behind their life in Virginia about a decade ago for what promised to be a tranquil existence at sea, their golden years spent wintering on the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 The winter garden teaches us to hold critical hope The beauty found in wintering gardens is hard to see when we are enmeshed in the hustle and noise of the world. Tamara Yakaboski, The Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2024 The agency closed a portion of the Fairfield District, known as the Couch Summit to Fleck Summit corridor, to protect wintering wildlife in 2017. Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 Disturbance by humans and domestic animals like cats and dogs can also force migrating and wintering birds to expend unnecessary energy, which can lead breeding plovers to abandon their nests and young. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Nov. 2023 Why do questions about fences and genetic purity dog bison hunts the way wolves follow wintering herds in the wild? Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 26 Oct. 2023 The lake and seasonal swamps that nearly covered the valley provided fish and an abundance of birds, most of them wintering waterfowl. Franz Lidz, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023 The wintering population is lower, with around 4,000 elk. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 23 Aug. 2023 But a sighting in December, when Baltimore orioles are wintering in Florida, the Caribbean, Central America and the northern tip of South America, would not fit. The New York Times Elaine Chen Emily Anthes, New York Times, 18 May 2023
Adjective
Winter weather in North Dakota, Minnesota People in northern North Dakota and Minnesota can expect to see snow with some winter advisories in effect through Friday night. Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2023 Though convention might tell us to spruce and upgrade our space in the spring (alongside a feverish amount of post-winter cleaning), there is a case to be made for elevating your home right now, mid-fall and pre-holidays. PEOPLE.com, 16 Nov. 2021 The park usually has a post-winter cleanup day for staff around Earth Day but hadn’t done one for the public before, officials said. Amy Lavalley, chicagotribune.com, 22 Apr. 2021 That means four seasons of activities, all building on what Buck Hill already does post-winter: concerts, car shows, mountain biking and catered events. Lee Svitak Dean, Star Tribune, 14 Sep. 2020 Winter visitors can catch a glimpse of the refuge’s migrating tundra swans. Danielle Ohl, baltimoresun.com, 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, 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, 12 July 2017 In The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes is turned into a weapon with no agency of his own. Jenna Pearl, Marie Claire, 5 June 2017

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German wintar winter and perhaps to Lithuanian vanduo water, Old English wæter — more at water

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

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

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of winter was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near winter

Cite this Entry

“Winter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/winter. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

winter

1 of 3 noun
win·​ter ˈwint-ər How to pronounce winter (audio)
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 How to pronounce winter (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on winter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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