January
noun
Jan·u·ary
ˈjan-yə-ˌwer-ē 
-ˌwe-rē
plural Januaries or Januarys
: the first month of the Gregorian calendar
Examples of January in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Oppenheimer, 35 of Cambridge, was arrested in July 2024 and pleaded guilty in January to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and two counts of wire fraud.
—
Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
In April, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the first capture of a Russian position purely by robots and drones and added that since January unmanned machines had conducted 22,000 missions.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
The program, announced by the Spanish government in January, received over 43,000 applications in just three days when the application period opened on April 16.
—Marta Campabadal Graus, NBC news, 30 May 2026
In January, the council agreed to spend $300,000 on a consultant to seek public input on how that money should be spent.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 30 May 2026
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Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
In April, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the first capture of a Russian position purely by robots and drones and added that since January unmanned machines had conducted 22,000 missions.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
The program, announced by the Spanish government in January, received over 43,000 applications in just three days when the application period opened on April 16.
—Marta Campabadal Graus, NBC news, 30 May 2026
In January, the council agreed to spend $300,000 on a consultant to seek public input on how that money should be spent.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for January
Cite this Entry
“January.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/January. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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January
noun
Jan·u·ary
ˈjan-yə-ˌwer-ē
: the first month of the year
Etymology
from Latin Januarius "first month of the year," from Janus, a Roman god
Word Origin
Among the many gods worshipped by the ancient Romans was one named Janus. He was believed to have two faces, one looking forward and one looking back. Janus was associated with doors, gates, and all beginnings. Because of that, when the Romans changed their calendar and added two months to the beginning of the year, they named the first one Januarius to honor Janus. The English January comes from Latin Januarius.
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