semester

American  

[si-mes-ter] / sɪˈmɛs tər /

noun

• semesters
  plural

1. (in many educational institutions) a division constituting half of the regular academic year, lasting typically from 15 to 18 weeks.

2. (in German universities) a session, lasting about six months and including periods of recess.

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semester British  

/ sɪˈmɛstə /

noun

1. (in some universities) either of two divisions of the academic year, ranging from 15 to 18 weeks

2. (in German universities) a session of six months

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Usage

What does semester mean? A semester is one half of an academic year. If an academic year is divided into semesters, it means it is divided into two semesters. (If the year is divided into thirds, each part is called a trimester.)Semesters are typically used in high schools and universities. In many universities, a semester lasts 15 to 18 weeks. In German universities, a semester can last up to six months. Example: I’m thinking about taking a break from school for a semester to work and save some money.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• semestral
  adjective
• semestrial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• semesters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of semester

1820–30; < German < Latin sēmē ( n ) stris of six months duration < *sex-mēnstris, equivalent to sex six + mēns ( is ) month + -tris adj. suffix (perhaps representing an earlier *mens ( i ) -teros )

Explanation

A semester is half of a school year. In September of your first year of high school, you could describe yourself as "a first-semester freshman." The noun semester comes up often when you're in high school and college. It's an easy way to divide the school year, into two equal halves, or semesters. Sometimes a class lasts for the whole year, and sometimes for just one semester. Occasionally schools split the year into three trimesters just to make things interesting. Originally, semester meant "six months," from the Latin root of the same meaning, semestris.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

semester semesters

Each Friday during the spring semester, students practice the basic techniques of archaeological fieldwork while investigating Mission San Francisco de Potano, a centuries-old site in northwest Gainesville.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

Not wanting to spend additional funds, he opted into a meal plan offered for commuter students like himself, with 50 meals for the 16-week semester that came to about $10 per meal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

Their stories reveal the trade-offs of early graduation: Every semester saved in tuition is also potentially one less semester to gain the internships and connections that help launch careers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

The next day, she was placed on administrative leave and told her contract would end after the semester.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

By the time the fall semester officially began two days later, I had promised myself to forget Danny as quickly as possible.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

For two semesters, I dressed up to teach from my living room laptop, receiving excellent evaluations.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

Instead of taking on summer internships or job-shadowing opportunities between semesters, he worked a retail gig to pay for college.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

But what looks to some like abandonment feels to others like a new beginning – and that makes me excited to see how high the women in “Rooster” might fly in coming semesters.

From Salon ● May 11, 2026

Claudio Neves Valente, 48 years old, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, planned the attack for at least six semesters, according to video transcripts released by the Justice Department.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026

“I want to take college classes online. I mean...well, I’ve been taking them for 2 semesters already, but under Nana’s name. For fun.”

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty