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
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People pass in front of big screen during the speech of US President Donald Trump on January 26, 2018 at the Davos Congress Centre (C), the venue of the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), in the town of Davos, eastern Switzerland.
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April Roach, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2025
On Friday, January 17, the United States Supreme Court voted to uphold a law banning TikTok across the country unless it was divested from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, by this Sunday, January 19.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Jan. 2025
On January 10th, while the fires were still raging out of control, several of the world’s leading scientific organizations announced that global temperatures in 2024 had reached a new high.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
From January 21st through February 15th, price has risen over 85% of the time over the last 22 years.
—Bill Sarubbi, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
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April Roach, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2025
On Friday, January 17, the United States Supreme Court voted to uphold a law banning TikTok across the country unless it was divested from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, by this Sunday, January 19.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Jan. 2025
On January 10th, while the fires were still raging out of control, several of the world’s leading scientific organizations announced that global temperatures in 2024 had reached a new high.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
From January 21st through February 15th, price has risen over 85% of the time over the last 22 years.
—Bill Sarubbi, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for January
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Cite this Entry
“January.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/January. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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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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