December

noun

De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər How to pronounce December (audio)
dē-
: the 12th month of the Gregorian calendar

Examples of December in a Sentence

Her birthday is in late December. This December was not as cold as the past few Decembers have been.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Threats were sent to PowerSchool in late December. — Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026 System sales to China fell to 19% of overall sales in the first quarter, compared to 36% in the December quarter. — Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026 The hire formally completes the search fills to fill the spot held by Josh Welsh, the org’s president since 2012 who died in December after a battle with cancer. — Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026 Fortescue aims to achieve this by 2028, two years ahead of its Real Zero Plans, scheduled for December 2030. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 14 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for December

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Decembre, from Old English or Anglo-French, both from Latin December (tenth month), from decem ten — more at ten

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Rhymes for December

See All Rhymes for December

Browse Nearby Words

decem-
December
Decembrist
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“December.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/December. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

December

noun
De·​cem·​ber di-ˈsem-bər How to pronounce December (audio)
: the twelfth month of the year
Etymology

Middle English Decembre, December "last month of the year," from early French decembre (same meaning), from Latin December, literally, "tenth month," from decem "ten" — related to decimal, dime

Word Origin
In the first calendar used by the ancient Romans, the year began with the month of March. The Romans called the tenth month of the year December, using the Latin word decem, meaning "ten." When the word was borrowed into early French, it became decembre. That was also how it was first spelled when it came into Middle English. In time, however, the English word was changed to match the original Latin in spelling and in having a capital letter.

More from Merriam-Webster on December

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about December

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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