autumn

American  

[aw-tuhm] / ˈɔ təm /

noun

• autumns
  plural

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.

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autumn British  

/ ˈɔːtəm /

noun

1. (sometimes capital)

   1. 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

   2. ( as modifier )

      autumn leaves

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• autumns
  plural

Etymology

Origin of autumn

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

Explanation

Autumn is the season after summer, when leaves fall from trees. It's also the season when the days get shorter and colder, and everything turns brown and drab, but people like it anyway, for the cocoa and cider, probably. Autumn is the third season of the year, coming after summer and before winter, and coinciding with the dropping of leaves from the trees as they go into a winter rest, which is why it's also called fall. We also use autumn metaphorically to talk about the seasons of a person's life, like that luminous older actress in the autumn of her career: she's not yet playing roles in nursing homes, but neither is she scampering around in bikinis.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

autumn autumns

In the autumn, it is expected the wasps will leave the nest.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Diesel prices have remained high even at times when crude oil has pulled back during truces in the U.S.-Iran conflict, threatening to further raise transportation costs in the autumn.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

The reforms are being developed by No 10 North in Manchester and a policy paper that will set out the full details will be published on the same date as the autumn budget.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

An independent review on antisemitism in schools and colleges in England is due to report to the government in the autumn.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

The comfy scent of evening chimney fires mingles with the autumn air as we walk back to the Mutton.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Tehran, located on the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains, experiences hot, dry summers, sometimes rainy autumns and winters that can be harsh and snowy.

From Barron's ● Dec. 24, 2025

Within a few days, I escalated to blowing leaves out from under the shrubs, and remembered the bucolic autumns of my Midwestern childhood and jumping into leaf piles raked patiently by my grandfather.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025

Just an hour and a half from Los Angeles there’s a mountain community where there are actual seasons: Warm summers, crisp autumns, snowy winters and resplendent springs complete with daffodils all around.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2024

Using climate and bee population models, researchers found that increasingly long autumns with good flying weather for bees raises the likelihood of colony collapse in the spring.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 25, 2024

Summers at seal camp were not as beautiful to Miyax as the autumns and winters, for during this season many families from Mekoryuk came to Nash Harbor to hunt and fish and Kapugen was busy.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George