October

noun

Oc·​to·​ber äk-ˈtō-bər How to pronounce October (audio)
: the 10th month of the Gregorian calendar

Examples of October in a Sentence

She started her job in early October. He started early in October. This will be our last October in New England. Sales are up for this October. The event happens every October.
Recent Examples on the Web In October, a municipal court judge found Russell guilty of two misdemeanor charges of false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident. Maxime Tamsett, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 According to a survey by FlexJobs published in October, a majority of employees said remote work was more important to them than their salary, their work-life balance, and a good boss. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 22 Mar. 2024 Last week, news hit that The Batman Part II, once again starring Robert Pattinson, had been delayed a year and will now bow in October 2026. Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Mar. 2024 And while lawmakers were casting their votes, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) filed a motion to oust Johnson from the speakership — the same procedure that thrust the House into disarray in October and stripped Republicans of much of their bargaining power during spending talks. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 The couple has been seen out together several times since the news of their relationship first broke in October. Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024 He is expected to take over as CEO no later than October this year. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024 In October 2023, Souzer was convicted of making a shiv while in a county jail. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 In October, a group of 400 prominent artists signed a letter urging U.S. President Joe Biden to demand a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Jaden Thompson, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'October.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Octobre, from Old English & Anglo-French; Old English October, from Latin, 8th month of the early Roman calendar, from octo; Anglo-French, from Latin October

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of October was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near October

Cite this Entry

“October.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/October. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

October

noun
Oc·​to·​ber äk-ˈtō-bər How to pronounce October (audio)
: the tenth month of the year
Etymology

Middle English October, Octobre "the tenth month," from Old English October and early French octobre (both, same meaning), both from Latin October "the eighth month," from octo "eight"

Word Origin
According to its origin, the name October, which we know as the tenth month of the year, really means "eighth month." In the first calendar used in ancient Rome, the year had only ten months, starting in March and ending in December. The extra period between December and March was not considered part of the series of months. Later, when two extra months were added to the calendar, October became the tenth month but kept its old name. The Latin name came into Old English as october and into early French as octobre. It was spelled both ways in Middle English. But in time the influence of Latin fixed the spelling as october.

More from Merriam-Webster on October

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