winter

noun

ˈwin-tər How to pronounce winter (audio)
Definition of winternext
as in lull
a period of often involuntary inactivity or idleness during the long winter when the party was out of power, it had plenty of time to reconsider its political priorities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of winter And now those still left in the battered city along Ukraine's southeastern front face death from hunger or disease as another harsh winter looms, with no agreement in sight for even a humanitarian evacuation. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 Authorities warned against hiking this route this time of year due to deteriorating conditions and the onset of winter weather. — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 Sienna Miller was seen stepping out in London’s SoHo neighborhood this Friday with boyfriend Oli Green while sporting the perfect pair of boots for the transition from fall to winter. — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2026 Snowshoeing, stargazing at Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve, and perhaps even catching the northern lights are just a few routes to affordable winter fun here, too. — Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for winter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winter
  1. lull
  2. break
  3. downtime
  4. layoff
  5. recess
Noun
  • New Mexico, meanwhile, is dealing with its own summer lull, dropping 93 percent year-over-year.
    — Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
  • CalHR, in a recent PERB filing, said during two-month lull there were sidebar conversations with union officials about economic proposals, potentially including raises.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of lull
Noun
  • Daily Alerts Stay informed as soon as important news breaks around Washington DC and the entire world.
    — Washington Examiner, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Alice Mushrooms Chocolate Discovery Set Alice mushroom chocolates are for the friend who tries every single wellness trend but also loves to indulge in a daily (or nightly) chocolate break.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of break
Noun
  • The technician gets one coherent answer instead of four tools to reconcile by hand, and the plant avoids the downtime that used to depend on one retiring expert’s memory.
    — Osman Koc, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • According to a synopsis from Hallmark, the movie — which filmed in Chicago over the summer — follows a freelance reporter who returns home to Chicago for some holiday downtime with her family before her next assignment.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of downtime
Noun
  • According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company will partner with billionaire Charles Koch’s investment firm, Koch Equity Development, which has invested in Getty since 2018, after a restructuring that Peters says will not involve layoffs.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 14 Oct. 2026
  • And for months, Hollywood has been bracing itself for the inevitable thousands of layoffs that will come out of the Skydance merger.
    — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of layoff
Noun
  • The graphic descriptions of internal brain trauma overwhelmed the jury box, prompting the judge to call a recess Friday.
    — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Students return to the classroom more focused and engaged, making recess a benefit not only for children but for teachers as well.
    — Rachel Deitch, Baltimore Sun, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of recess

Browse Nearby Words

wins (over)
winter
winterly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Winter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winter. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on winter

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about winter

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fervid

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All