winter
Americannoun
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winters
plural
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the cold season between autumn and spring in northern latitudes (in the Northern Hemisphere from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox; in the Southern Hemisphere from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox).
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the months of December, January, and February in the U.S., and of November, December, and January in Great Britain.
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cold weather.
a touch of winter in northern Florida.
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the colder half of the year (opposed to summer).
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a whole year as represented by this season.
a man of sixty winters.
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a period like winter, as the last or final period of life; a period of decline, decay, inertia, dreariness, or adversity.
adjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of winter.
a winter sunset.
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(of fruit and vegetables) of a kind that may be kept for use during the winter.
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planted in the autumn to be harvested in the spring or early summer.
winter rye.
verb (used without object)
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winters,
present (3rd person singular)
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wintered,
past participle, past
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wintering
present participle
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to spend or pass the winter.
to winter in Italy.
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to keep, feed, or manage during the winter, as plants or cattle.
plants wintering indoors.
noun
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(sometimes capital) the coldest season of the year, between autumn and spring, astronomically from the December solstice to the March equinox in the N hemisphere and at the opposite time of year in the S hemisphere
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( as modifier )
winter pasture
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the period of cold weather associated with the winter
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a time of decline, decay, etc
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poetic a year represented by this season
a man of 72 winters
verb
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(intr) to spend the winter in a specified place
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to keep or feed (farm animals, etc) during the winter or (of farm animals) to be kept or fed during the winter
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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wintersimple
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winterssimple
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have winteredperfect
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has winteredperfect
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am winteringprogressive
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are winteringprogressive
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is winteringprogressive
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have been winteringperfect progressive
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has been winteringperfect progressive
Past
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winteredsimple
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had winteredperfect
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was winteringprogressive
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were winteringprogressive
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had been winteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of winter
before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Winter, Old Norse vetr, Gothic wintrus; (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun; akin to wet, water
Explanation
Winter is the coldest season of the year, often bringing snow, shorter days, longer nights, and cloudy gray skies. The word winter describes the season when temperatures drop, and the days grow shorter. It’s a time when nature slows down — trees lose their leaves, animals hibernate, and people bundle up in warm clothes. In some places, winter means snow-covered landscapes, snowball fights, and cozy nights spent by a warm fire, while in others, it might simply mean cooler weather than usual.
Vocabulary lists containing winter
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.
See Examples For:
Other coastal communities, including Redondo Beach, Huntington Beach and Long Beach, also experienced flooding, and officials say it could get much worse as El Niño hits its peak this winter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
So he needs to regroup over the winter, come back next year and prove he can get back on to Antonelli's level.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
During the winter months, she moved to her Manhattan apartment on Park Avenue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Whether severe storms will materialize this winter remains an unanswered question.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
He felt the fine light bones beneath the dense winter fur; the fierce beat of a loyal heart.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Declining ice cover has been associated with colder winters and increased snowfall in the United Kingdom, northern Europe, and North America.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
Mammoth has fared well during strong El Niño winters in the past, said Smith.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
"It is a worry, we have three rivers running into Monmouth... and the winters are changing," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
Two of the strongest on record, in 1982-83 and 1997-98, saw very wet winters that left a trail of devastation in California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Used to the bitter winters at Riverbank, they marveled that there was “no ice whatsoever, and no bad wind, and very little snow.”
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
“A monarch that wintered in Monterey might end up in Las Vegas or Boise or Spokane that next spring and summer,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
Some retirees who wintered on the Gulf Coast are already planning their exits from the state.
From New York Times ● Oct. 10, 2022
In the classic migration pattern, flocks that wintered in the southern U.S. fly north in the spring, returning to the same spots in the high and sub-Arctic to breed and nest.
From National Geographic ● Dec. 16, 2020
The social pages followed his comings and goings, when he summered in Bar Harbor and wintered in Boca Raton.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 19, 2019
When it continued to zag she realized the pilot was following a meandering river where game wintered.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
Years before the project began, migrating ospreys had been spotted in Poole Harbour, en route from Scotland to their wintering grounds in north Africa.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
After spending the summer in the Hamptons, Icahn is wintering at his house on the Miami-area island known as Billionaire Bunker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025
But they have been consistently present off the coast — migrating from their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America to California in the summer, where they gorge on fish and krill along the coast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2024
"The two species do overlap on their high elevation wintering grounds. It's mind-boggling that until now nobody figured out the Giant Hummingbird mystery, yet these two species have been separate for millions of years. "
From Science Daily ● May 13, 2024
“You’re going to see so many new things and meet so many new animals and if there are any squirrels at your wintering grounds please tell them that Chitchat says hello!”
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
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