autumn

noun

au·​tumn ˈȯ-təm 

1

: the season between summer and winter comprising in the northern hemisphere usually the months of September, October, and November or as reckoned astronomically extending from the September equinox to the December solstice

called also fall

2

: a period of maturity or incipient decline

in the autumn of life

Synonyms

• afterlife
• afternoon
• age
• evening

Examples of autumn in a Sentence

in the autumn of last year

a magnificent New England autumn

She went off to college in the autumn of 1999.

When autumn came he planted grass.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the autumn of his life, Solomon wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes. —Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 30 Jan. 2025

Then spring would come, melting the ice, followed by a brief but intense summer when oceans might even begin to evaporate, only to precipitate back out as rain in autumn and snow in winter. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Jan. 2025

The Bridge fire burned more than 56,000 acres in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties in the autumn, destroying 81 structures and injuring eight firefighters. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025

The Met Office has been naming strong storms during the autumn and winter seasons since 2015 along with Met Éireann and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. —Nazaneen Ghaffar, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English autumpne, borrowed from Anglo-French autompne, borrowed from Latin autumnus (also an adjective, "autumnal"), perhaps a borrowing from Etruscan

Note: Ernout and Meillet (Dictionaire étymologique de la langue latine) regard an Etruscan origin as definite ("sans doute") and compare the form to Vertumnus/Vortumnus, claimed by Varro to be an Etruscan god. (The Romans regarded Vertumnus as a god of the changing seasons, by association with the verb vertere "to turn.")

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing autumn

• autumn crocus

Kids Definition

autumn

noun

au·​tumn ˈȯt-əm 

1

: the season between summer and winter including in the northern hemisphere usually the months of September, October, and November

called also fall

2

: a time late in an existence

in the autumn of life

autumnal

ȯ-ˈtəm-nəl 

adjective