January
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does January mean? January is the first month of the calendar year. It has 31 days and is followed by February. It follows December, the twelfth and final month of the previous year. January is closely associated with its position at the beginning of the year. January 1 is known as New Year’s Day due to being the first day of the year. For many people, January is a time of making New Year’s resolutions—decisions to do something or make some change in the new year, especially to change or start some habit or behavior. For example, many people start new exercise routines or diets in January. In the Northern Hemisphere, January is a winter month. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is a summer month. In the U. S., the most notable holiday in January after New Year’s Day is Martin Luther King Day, which is observed on the third Monday of the month. The inaugurations of new U. S. presidents and members of Congress are also held in January. Example: People treat January as a time of new beginnings and life changes, but I like to remind them that they can do that during any month.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of January
before 1000; Middle English < Latin, noun use of Jānuārius, equivalent to Jānu ( s ) Janus + -ārius -ary; replacing Middle English Genever, Jeniver < Anglo-French, Old French Genever, Jenever < Latin, as above; replacing Old English Januarius < Latin
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.
However, the terms of that proposal “changed significantly” after negotiations began in January, reducing the board’s confidence in the project, according to a district spokesperson.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2026
A Met Police spokesperson said: "We have launched an investigation following a referral from the Electoral Commission on Tuesday, 6 January concerning donations connected to a political party's leadership campaign. The investigation remains ongoing."
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
On OpenRouter, a platform that routes requests across different AI models, Google, Anthropic and OpenAI's combined share of usage dropped from 55 percent to 33 percent between January and June.
From Barron's • Jul. 9, 2026
Measured from January 2000 to December 2009, that initial $10,000 grew to just $10,100 in constant dollars.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026
One dark January morning when it was trying to snow again, Toos burst into underground “headquarters” in Tante Jans’s rear room clutching a letter in her hand.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
