December
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What is December? December is the twelfth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. It has 31 days and is between November and January. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter begins in December, while in the Southern Hemisphere, summer begins. A solstice happens in December, often marked on December 21, although the actual day may be December 20, 21, or 22. A solstice is when the sun is the farthest from the Earth’s celestial equator. The Southern Hemisphere experiences its summer solstice, with the sun reaching the southernmost point on the celestial sphere. Naturally, the Northern Hemisphere experiences its winter solstice. Many holidays are celebrated in December, including the Budhhist Bodhi Day, the Jewish Hanukkah (though it can start in November), the Christian Christmas, and the African American Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, while Bodhi Day, Hanukkah, and Christmas are religious holidays, though many people celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas as cultural holidays. Example: December is my favorite month because I can finally take some time off work and be with my family.
Etymology
Origin of December
before 1000; Middle English decembre < Old French < Latin december (stem decembr- ) the tenth month of the early Roman year, apparently < *dec ( em ) -membri-, equivalent to decem ten + *-membri- < mens- month + -ri- suffix (with -sr- > -br- and assimilation of nasal)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Australia in December banned under 16s from the likes of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, in a crackdown designed to protect children from online bullying and "predatory algorithms".
From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026
Three months earlier, at the end of December 2025, just 57% did.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026
Efforts to save Henry's life continued for another 51 minutes, until an emergency doctor who had been flown in by helicopter eventually recorded the 18-year-old's time of death as 00:37 on 4 December, 2025.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
Silver futures shed $3.51, or 5.4% to $62.02 a troy ounce, the lowest close since December.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
“Tryouts are the Friday before holiday break. December sixteenth, I believe.”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
