autumn

[ aw-tuhm ]
See synonyms for autumn on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the season between summer and winter; fall. In the Northern Hemisphere it is from the September equinox to the December solstice; in the Southern Hemisphere it is from the March equinox to the June solstice.

  2. a time of full maturity, especially the late stages of full maturity or, sometimes, the early stages of decline: to be in the autumn of one's life.

Origin of autumn

1
1325–75; <Latin autumnus; replacing Middle English autumpne<Middle French autompne<Latin

Words Nearby autumn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use autumn in a sentence

  • The afternoon was a lovely one—the day was a perfect example of the mellowest mood of autumn.

    Confidence | Henry James
  • The plant as a whole remains green until late in the autumn.

    How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
  • In a general way the fronds are best collected during the summer and autumn, when they will, of course, be well developed.

    How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
  • Through the beautiful, windy autumn days, he labored at his difficult task, the task of telling a story.

    The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
  • His departure in autumn had been so gradual, that it was difficult to say when night began to overcome the day.

    The Giant of the North | R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for autumn

autumn

/ (ˈɔːtəm) /


noun
  1. (sometimes capital)

    • Also called (esp US): fall the season of the year between summer and winter, astronomically from the September equinox to the December solstice in the N hemisphere and from the March equinox to the June solstice in the S hemisphere

    • (as modifier): autumn leaves

  2. a period of late maturity, esp one followed by a decline

Origin of autumn

1
C14: from Latin autumnus, perhaps of Etruscan origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012