July
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does July mean? July is the seventh month of the calendar year, lasting 31 days and falling between June and August. It’s one of the 12 months of the Gregorian calendar. In the Northern Hemisphere, July is a summer month. The days during the period from July 3 to August 11 are traditionally known as the dog days of summer. In the Southern Hemisphere, July is a winter month. What happens in July?In Canada, July 1 is the patriotic national holiday known as Canada Day. In the U. S., July 4 is Independence Day, popularly known as the Fourth of July. July 14 is the national day of France, known in English as Bastille Day. In the U. S., July is observed as BIPOC Mental Health Month. In astrology, the sign Cancer applies to those born between June 22 and July 22. The sign Leo applies to those born between July 23 and August 23. Example: As soon as July begins, I can already feel the dog days of summer setting in.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of July
before 1050; Middle English julie < Anglo-French < Latin Jūlius ( Caesar ), after whom it was named; replacing Old English Julius < Latin; Middle English ju ( i ) l < Old French < 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.
In Scotland the programme will also start in July.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
Seventy-eight of those games will take place in the U.S., including Friday’s opener in Inglewood and the July 19th final in East Rutherford, N.J.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
Earlier this week, the Energy Department confirmed that a design from rival Antares Nuclear will be the first of several reactors to go critical by the July 4 deadline.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
Front-month June VIX futures continue to trade at a lower price than July, and that is bullish for stocks.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
They trained all summer, though most of the snow had melted by July, going out days and nights and traveling at least fifty miles each time.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
