season

American  

[see-zuhn] / ˈsi zən /

noun

• seasons
  plural

1. one of the four periods of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), beginning astronomically at an equinox or solstice, but geographically at different dates in different climates.

2. a period of the year characterized by particular conditions of weather, temperature, etc..

   the rainy season.

3. a period of the year when something is best or available.

   the oyster season.

4. a period of the year marked by certain conditions, activities, etc..

   baseball season.

5. a period of the year immediately before and after a special holiday or occasion.

   the Christmas season.

6. Sports.

   1. a period with reference to the total number of games to be played by a team.

      a 162-game season.

   2. a period with reference to the won-lost record of a team after it has completed its schedule.

      a .700 season.

7. any period or time.

   in the season of my youth.

8. a suitable, proper, fitting, or right time.

   This is not the season for frivolity.

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verb (used with object)

• seasons,
  present (3rd person singular)
• seasoned,
  past participle,  past
• seasoning
  present participle

1. to heighten or improve the flavor of (food) by adding condiments, spices, herbs, or the like.

2. to give relish or a certain character to.

   conversation seasoned with wit.

3. to mature, ripen, or condition by exposure to suitable conditions or treatment.

   a writer seasoned by experience.

4. to dry or otherwise treat (lumber) so as to harden and render immune to shrinkage, warpage, etc.

5. to accustom or harden.

   troops seasoned by battle.

verb (used without object)

• seasons,
  present (3rd person singular)
• seasoned,
  past participle,  past
• seasoning
  present participle

1. to become seasoned, matured, hardened, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   toughen, harden, mature

idioms

1. out of season, not in season.

   The price is so high because lilacs are out of season now.

2. in good season, in enough time; sufficiently early.

   Applicants will be notified of our decision in good season.

3. for a season, for a time, especially a short time.

   He lived in Paris for a season.

4. in season,

   1. in the time or state for use, eating, etc..

      Asparagus is now in season.

   2. in the period regulated by law, as for hunting and fishing.

   3. at the right time; opportunely.

   4. (of an animal, especially female) in a state of readiness for mating; in heat.

   5. in good season.

5. in season and out of season, regardless of time or season; at all times.

   Misfortunes plague this family in season and out of season.

season British  

/ ˈsiːzən /

noun

1. one of the four equal periods into which the year is divided by the equinoxes and solstices, resulting from the apparent movement of the sun north and south of the equator during the course of the earth's orbit around it. These periods (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) have their characteristic weather conditions in different regions, and occur at opposite times of the year in the N and S hemispheres

2. a period of the year characterized by particular conditions or activities

   the rainy season

3. the period during which any particular species of animal, bird, or fish is legally permitted to be caught or killed

   open season on red deer

4. a period during which a particular entertainment, sport, etc, takes place

   a season at the National Theatre

   the football season

   the tourist season

5. (esp formerly) a period of fashionable social events in a particular place

   the London season

6. any definite or indefinite period

7. any of the major periods into which the ecclesiastical calendar is divided, such as Lent, Advent, or Easter

8. (sometimes capital) Christmas (esp in the phrases compliments of the season, Season's greetings )

9. a period or time that is considered proper, suitable, or natural for something

10. early enough

11. 1. (of game) permitted to be caught or killed

    2. (of fresh food) readily available

    3. Also: in heat.   on heat.  (of some female mammals) sexually receptive

    4. appropriate

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verb

1. (tr) to add herbs, salt, pepper, or spice to (food)

2. (tr) to add zest to

3. (in the preparation of timber) to undergo or cause to undergo drying

4. (tr; usually passive) to make or become mature or experienced

   seasoned troops

5. (tr) to mitigate or temper

   to season one's admiration with reticence

season Scientific  

/ sē′zən /

1. One of four natural divisions of the year—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—in temperate zones. Each season has its own characteristic weather and lasts approximately three months. The change in the seasons is brought about by the shift in the angle at which the Sun's rays strike the Earth. This angle changes as the Earth orbits in its yearly cycle around the Sun due to the tilt of the Earth's axis. For example, when the northern or southern hemisphere of the Earth is at an angle predominantly facing the Sun and has more daylight hours of direct, overhead sunlight than nighttime hours, it is in its summer season; the opposite hemisphere is in then opposite condition and is in its winter season.

2. See also equinox solstice

3. In some tropical climates, either of the two divisions—rainy and dry—into which the year is divided. These divisions are defined on the basis of levels of precipitation.

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season More Idioms  

1. see in season; open season.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preseason
  noun
• seasoner
  noun
• reseason
  verb
• overseason
  verb (used with object)
• nonseasoned
  adjective
• postseason
  adjective
• seasoned
  adjective
• seasonless
  adjective
• well-seasoned
  adjective
• seasonedly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• seasons
  plural

Participles

• seasoning
  present
• seasoned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• season
  simple
• seasons
  simple
• have seasoned
  perfect
• has seasoned
  perfect
• am seasoning
  progressive
• are seasoning
  progressive
• is seasoning
  progressive
• have been seasoning
  perfect progressive
• has been seasoning
  perfect progressive

Past

• seasoned
  simple
• had seasoned
  perfect
• was seasoning
  progressive
• were seasoning
  progressive
• had been seasoning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will season
  simple
• will have seasoned
  perfect
• will be seasoning
  progressive
• will have been seasoning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of season

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the noun) Middle English seso(u)n, from Old French se(i)son, from Latin satiōn-, stem of satiō “a sowing” (in Vulgar Latin: “sowing time”), from sa-, variant stem of serere “to sow” + -tiō -tion; (for the verb) Middle English seso(u)nen, from Old French saisonner “to ripen, make palatable by aging,” derivative of se(i)son

Explanation

A season is one of the four parts of a year. Those four seasons are spring, summer, fall, and winter. There’s also baseball season, the Christmas season, and according to the Zombies, there’s always the “Time of the Season” for love. Seasons are marked by the Earth's position in relation to the sun — so when it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it's winter in the Southern Hemisphere. In temperate places, winter is cold, spring marks the birth of plants and animals, summer is warm, and in autumn temperatures get cooler again. You can also use season to mean "period of the year" or "time when a sport is played." As a verb, it means "add flavor."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

season seasons seasoned seasoning

The Angels have the worst record in the major leagues and are on pace for the first 100-loss season in franchise history.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Jaissle now has little time to catch his breath before the season opener against Liverpool on Tyneside on 23 August.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Thirteen years later, Bauers has a beard, tattoos and is in his seventh major league season as the first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

He has run sub-10 on six separate occasions, in all conditions, this season - including when he defeated the in-form Jacobs, a surprise Olympic champion five years ago, on his home turf in Italy.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

No matter the season, the dairy farm kept chugging along.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Farmers across the UK are grappling with one of the driest, hottest growing seasons in decades.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

You’d need to carefully research where you want to live, and ideally, “test-drive” the location during both peak and off-peak seasons.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

It’s another season of quality quarterbacks with the class of 2029 particularly strong after terrific freshman seasons by such players as Thaddeus Breaux of L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Even in 2017 and 2018, when Hamilton won, the Ferrari was the better car for a large part of both those seasons before Mercedes hit their stride.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

“Last years classes, gone. Last years records, gone. Sports seasons, gone. A quarter of those Fullbrookers are gone too.”

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

This was meant to be nerve-wracking for a team with no major tournament experience against seasoned opponents.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

For students to move forward with an investment, they must present it to their investment committee, a board of 10 seasoned real-estate executives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Mack learned the importance of passing down knowledge as a youngster in Oakland under the tutelage of seasoned veterans Charles Woodson and Justin Tuck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

I seasoned the tomato with salt and a little garlic powder, which supplied savory warmth without the acridity fresh garlic can bring.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026

There were six more seasoned soldiers—all of them thrown out of the army for questionable behavior, which must have been truly questionable, given that Adarlan’s army was notorious for ruthlessness.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

Red pepper flakes and everything bagel seasoning cover the remaining territory — heat, funk, nuttiness, crunch — in a few economical shakes.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

Since I like to use all of my seasoning packets, I opt for unsalted or low-sodium stock.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

For those who couldn’t visit his dude ranch, Henson began shipping packets of ranch seasoning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

The woman claimed that the street vendor had thrown the Mexican seasoning — Tajin — on her face.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

The bear smelled the morning’s moose meat stew Omakayas had eaten, the wild onion seasoning and the dusty bit of maple sugar from Old Tallow stuck to the inside of her pocket.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

Related Words

• fall
• period
• summer
• time
• winter