Indian summer

American  

noun

1. a period of mild, dry weather, usually accompanied by a hazy atmosphere, occurring usually in late October or early November and following a period of colder weather.

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Indian summer British  

noun

1. a period of unusually settled warm weather after the end of summer proper

2. a period of ease and tranquillity or of renewed productivity towards the end of a person's life or of an epoch

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Indian summer Cultural  

1. A period of unusually warm weather in the fall, often following a seasonable cold spell.

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Indian summer Idioms  

1. A period of mild, sunny weather occurring in late autumn, usually following a seasonable cold spell. For example, We had two whole days of Indian summer this year, and then it turned cold again. [Late 1700s]

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Etymology

Origin of Indian summer

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80

Example Sentences

But Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan dampened hopes of an Indian summer over the next seven days, predicting that the better weather would be replaced by wet and windy conditions by next weekend.

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2024

Many people lined polling stations before the start of voting at 7 a.m. to avoid the blazing sun later in the day at the peak of Indian summer.

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024

Zulena does get one moment of bliss, sitting outside with Clare on an Indian summer day.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2022

Was there an element of their being sunshine boys during the Indian summer of 2018?

From The Guardian • Nov. 25, 2018

At last, after September, another weather arrives, an Indian summer that occasionally endures until Christmas.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote