autumn
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.
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
1Words Nearby autumn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use autumn in a sentence
Typically, winter precipitation starts to set in and cap fire seasons in the autumn.
Colorado is fighting its largest wildfire in history. Other massive blazes are close behind. | Umair Irfan | October 22, 2020 | VoxDespite the pandemic that had driven most everyone from their usual routines and traditions, Midwesterners were getting pumped for chillier autumn weather.
Italy has hardly dodged the latest autumn wave of contagion hitting Europe, but it’s holding up better than neighboring countries.
As COVID cases spike in Europe, Italy stands out—but this time for doing things right | Bernhard Warner | October 15, 2020 | FortuneThe inclement weather may have kept the birds on the western front through the autumn in 1917 and 1918, close to both military and civilian populations, providing an excellent opportunity for the virus to cross between species and mutate.
A climate anomaly may have worsened the 1918 pandemic and WWI | Kate Baggaley | September 25, 2020 | Popular-ScienceBased on those findings, an action plan will be drawn up for the autumn.
‘It’s all been plan, plan, plan mode:’ Agencies have big ideas for greater diversity, but more action is needed | Seb Joseph | September 15, 2020 | Digiday
One afternoon we were watching Ingmar Bergman's autumn Sonata.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFrom the first shots of autumn Sonata it's clear that this is going to be slow going.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTStanding in the chill breeze of autumn, I knew something had passed between us.
The summer heat is fleeting, and the crisp golden brown of autumn lingers just a little bit longer than it should.
Jason Schwartzman Is the Nicest Jerk You’ll Ever Meet in ‘Listen Up Philip’ | Emma Myers | October 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnother summer has passed, and with its passing the rites of autumn have begun.
The afternoon was a lovely one—the day was a perfect example of the mellowest mood of autumn.
Confidence | Henry JamesThe plant as a whole remains green until late in the autumn.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard BastinIn 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 BastinThrough the beautiful, windy autumn days, he labored at his difficult task, the task of telling a story.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxHis 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
/ (ˈɔːtəm) /
(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
a period of late maturity, esp one followed by a decline
Origin of autumn
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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