month

American  

[muhnth] / mʌnθ /

noun

1. Also called calendar month.  any of the twelve parts, as January or February, into which the calendar year is divided.

2. the time from any day of one calendar month to the corresponding day of the next.

3. a period of four weeks or 30 days.

4. Also called solar month.  one-twelfth of a solar or tropical year.

5. Also called lunar month.  the period of a complete revolution of the moon around the earth, as the period between successive new moons synodic month, equal to 29.531 days, or the period between successive conjunctions with a star sidereal month, equal to 27.322 days, or the period between successive perigees anomalistic month, equal to 27.555 days, or the period between successive similar nodes nodical month, or draconic month, equal to 27.212 days.

6. an unusually long period of time of indefinite length.

   I haven't seen him for months.

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idioms

1. a month of Sundays. Sunday.

month British  

/ mʌnθ /

noun

1. one of the twelve divisions ( calendar months ) of the calendar year

2. a period of time extending from one date to a corresponding date in the next calendar month

3. a period of four weeks or of 30 days

4. the period of time ( tropical month ) taken by the moon to return to the same longitude after one complete revolution around the earth; 27.321 58 days (approximately 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, 4.5 seconds)

5. the period of time ( sidereal month ) taken by the moon to make one complete revolution around the earth, measured between two successive conjunctions with a distant star; 27.321 66 days (approximately 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, 11 seconds)

6. Also called: lunation.  the period of time ( lunar or synodic month ) taken by the moon to make one complete revolution around the earth, measured between two successive new moons; 29.530 59 days (approximately 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, 3 seconds)

7. informal a long unspecified period

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month More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing month

• (for months) on end
• by the day (month)

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Etymology

Origin of month

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English mōnath; cognate with Old High German mānōd, Old Norse mānathr. See moon

Example Sentences

The Labor Department typically surveys employers and households around the middle of the month, which was only a few weeks after the conflict had started.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The economy added a decent 68,000 jobs a month from January to March, reversing a decline in employment at the end of last year.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

U.S. job growth blew past expectations last month, a resilient rebound that defied concerns about a pending downturn.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Those in the fasting mimicking group reduced their calorie intake for five consecutive days each month, consuming roughly 700 to 1,100 calories per day.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

In the month and a half between the first signs and the catastrophic eruption, hundreds of scientists worked to try to understand what was happening.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Related Words

• age
• date
• day
• era
• future
• generation
• hour
• life
• moment
• occasion
• pace
• past
• point
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• space
• stage
• term
• turn