Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense, plural winters, present participle wintering, past tense, past participle wintered
1. variable noun
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold.
In winter the nights are long and cold.
Last winter's snowfall was heavier than usual.
...the winter months.
...the late winter of 1941. [+ of]
2. verb
If an animal or plant winters somewhere or is wintered there, it spends the winter there.
The birds will winter outside in an aviary. [VERB adverb/preposition]
The young seedlings are usually wintered in a cold frame. [beVERB-ed preposition/adverb]
...one of the most important sites for wintering wildfowl. [VERB-ing]
[Also VERB noun preposition/adverb]
3. verb
If you winter somewhere, you spend the winter there.
[formal]
The family decided to winter in Nice again. [VERB preposition/adverb]
winter in British English
(ˈwɪntə)
noun
1.
a. (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
b.
(as modifier)
winter pasture
2.
the period of cold weather associated with the winter
3.
a time of decline, decay, etc
4. mainly poetic
a year represented by this season
a man of 72 winters
▶ Related adjectives: brumal, hibernal, hiemal
verb
5. (intransitive)
to spend the winter in a specified place
6.
to keep or feed (farm animals, etc) during the winter or (of farm animals) to be kept or fed during thewinter
Derived forms
winterer (ˈwinterer)
noun
winterish (ˈwinterish) or winter-like (ˈwinter-ˌlike)
adjective
winterless (ˈwinterless)
adjective
Word origin
Old English; related to Old Saxon, Old High German wintar, Old Norse vetr, Gothic wintrus
winter in American English
(ˈwɪntər)
noun
1.
a.
the coldest season of the year: in the North Temperate Zone, generally regarded as including the months of December, January, and February: in the astronomical year, that period between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox
b.
the typically cold weather of this season
2.
a year as reckoned by this season
a man of eighty winters
3.
any period of decline, dreariness, adversity, etc.
adjective
4.
of or characteristic of winter
5.
designed for or taking place during winter
winter sports
6.
that will keep during the winter
winter apples
7.
planted in the fall to be harvested in the spring
winter wheat
verb intransitive
8.
to pass the winter
9.
to be supplied with food and shelter in the winter
verb transitive
10.
to keep, feed, or maintain during the winter
Word origin
ME < OE, akin to ON vetr, Goth wintrus, prob. < IE *wed-, to make wet: see water
COBUILD Collocations
winter
bitter winter
bleak winter
brutal winter
cold winter
dry winter
hard winter
harsh winter
long winter
mild winter
snowy winter
warm winter
Examples of 'winter' in a sentence
winter
Thousands of spectators gazed up at the sky to witness the beginning of the winter solstice.
The Sun (2016)
They can be planted in the winter during mild spells right into spring.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This already matches performance in the depths of winter last year.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In winter one sometimes finds a flock that has adopted a field of springing green corn to feed in.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This is particularly important during winter and if you get little exposure to sun on your skin throughout the year.
The Sun (2016)
Tweet of the day This could be a long winter.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It's also time to view and admire potential hedge acquisitions for your garden ready for autumn and winter planting.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
So, while winter is another place, it is not a bad one or a sad one.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They feed in winter on estuary shores and in farmland fields.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Yesterday it was like winter again and we had a set back.
Louise Carpenter AN UNLIKELY COUNTESS: Lily Budge and the 13th Earl of Galloway (2004)
Spread a mulch around the plant for winter protection and healthy new growth next year.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
These appear in the autumn and last through the winter months.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Get ready to sparkle through the winter party season!
The Sun (2012)
Winter is no time to show off your love of fine dining and the foodie scene.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Experts suggested that the particularly long and cold winter may also have contributed.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There are times when football seems to be one long winter of discontent.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The winter solstice sets up brilliant chances to live the life you dream of.
The Sun (2012)
The southern hemisphere winter is turning unusually cold.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Competition for batting places on the winter tour is increasing.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The winter that year was especially cold.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Winter fuel bills will be sky high.
The Sun (2008)
These should spend the winter underground and be dug up in spring.
Thompkins, Peter, Bird, Christopher Secrets of the Soil (1990)
The jacket will enable you to wear the dress through much of autumn and winter.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Something began to go right again this winter.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In winter when the plant is fully dormant.
The Sun (2011)
One theory contends that it evolved as a way of conserving energy and resources during the long winter period.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It is winter time there and the cooler weather will help to keep the top surface from dusting too quickly.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
These are used to very intense sunlight, very cold winters and a short growing season.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In winter the feeding time is 2pm.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The rose emblem ties in with this season 's winter floral trend.
The Sun (2010)
She had been out for a walk with her parents one winter day in Austria.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They play such an important role in winter and are extremely useful as a foil for more colourful flowering plants in spring and summer.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Word lists with
winter
season
In other languages
winter
British English: winter /ˈwɪntə/ NOUN
Winter is the season between autumn and spring. In winter the weather is usually cold.
Dried fruit is eaten in winter, when fresh fruit is not available.
American English: winter
Arabic: الشِّتَاء
Brazilian Portuguese: inverno
Chinese: 冬天
Croatian: zima
Czech: zima
Danish: vinter
Dutch: winter
European Spanish: invierno
Finnish: talvi
French: hiver
German: Winter
Greek: χειμώνας
Italian: inverno
Japanese: 冬
Korean: 겨울
Norwegian: vinter
Polish: zima
European Portuguese: Inverno
Romanian: iarnă
Russian: зима
Latin American Spanish: invierno
Swedish: vinter
Thai: ฤดูหนาว
Turkish: kış
Ukrainian: зима
Vietnamese: mùa đông
All related terms of 'winter'
cold winter
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold .
dry winter
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold.
hard winter
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold.
long winter
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold .
mild winter
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold .
warm winter
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold .
winter moth
a brown geometrid moth , Operophtera brumata, of which the male is often seen against lighted windows in winter , the female being wingless
winter rose
an evergreen ranunculaceous plant, Helleborus niger , of S Europe and W Asia , with white or pinkish winter-blooming flowers
Winter War
the war of the winter of 1939–40 between Finland and the USSR after which the Finns surrendered the Karelian Isthmus to the USSR
winter wren
any small brown passerine songbird of the chiefly American family Troglodytidae, esp Troglodytes troglodytes ( wren in Britain, winter wren in the US and Canada ). They have a slender bill and feed on insects
bitter winter
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold.
bleak winter
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold.
brutal winter
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold.
harsh winter
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold.
snowy winter
Winter is the season between autumn and spring when the weather is usually cold.
winter blues
a feeling of depression or deep unhappiness associated with experiencing the cold and darkness of winter
winter cherry
a Eurasian solanaceous plant, Physalis alkekengi, cultivated for its ornamental inflated papery orange-red calyx
winter cress
a bitter-tasting yellow-flowered perennial , Barbarea vulgaris, somewhat resembling mustard
winter garden
a garden of evergreen plants and plants that flower in winter
winter hedge
a clothes horse
winter melon
a variety of muskmelon , Cucumis melo inodorus, that has sweet fruit with pale orange flesh and an unridged rind
winter season
→ the winter season
winter sleep
(of some mammals, reptiles , and amphibians ) to pass the winter in a dormant condition with metabolism greatly slowed down
winter sports
Winter sports are sports that take place on ice or snow, for example skating and skiing.
winter squash
any of several squashes (esp. Cucurbita maxima ), usually with a thick , hard rind
winter storm
A storm is very bad weather, with heavy rain , strong winds , and often thunder and lightning .
winter wheat
a type of wheat that is planted in the autumn and is harvested the following summer
nuclear winter
Nuclear winter refers to the possible effects on the environment of a war in which large numbers of nuclear weapons are used. It is thought that there would be very low temperatures and very little light during a nuclear winter.
winter aconite
a small Old World ranunculaceous herbaceous plant, Eranthis hyemalis, cultivated for its yellow flowers, which appear early in spring
winter clothes
the type of heavy , warm clothing that people tend to wear in very cold weather
winter flounder
a common , brownish-gray flounder ( Pseudopleuronectes americanus ) of the Atlantic coast of North America , valued as a food fish, esp. in winter
winter holidays
a period of rest from work or studies taken in winter
winter jasmine
a jasmine shrub , Jasminum nudiflorum, widely cultivated for its winter-blooming yellow flowers
Winter Olympics
an international contest of winter sports , esp skiing, held every four years
winter purslane
a plant, Montia perfoliata , native to western North America, of the purslane family, having edible , egg-shaped leaves and clusters of small, white flowers
winter quarters
housing or accommodation for the winter , esp for military personnel
winter resident
a person who spends the winter in a particular place
winter solstice
the time at which the sun is at its southernmost point in the sky ( northernmost point in the S hemisphere) appearing at noon at its lowest altitude above the horizon . It occurs about December 22 ( June 21 in the S hemisphere)
winter weather
The weather is the condition of the atmosphere in one area at a particular time, for example if it is raining , hot, or windy .
winter depression
a state of depression sometimes experienced by people in winter , thought to be related to lack of sunlight
winter heliotrope
a creeping perennial , Petasites fragrans, related to the butterbur , having lilac to heliotrope-coloured flowers smelling of vanilla : found chiefly on road verges
winter temperature
The temperature of something is a measure of how hot or cold it is.
winter vegetables
Vegetables are plants such as cabbages , potatoes, and onions which you can cook and eat.
winter wonderland
You can refer to a place as a wonderland when it is strange and very beautiful or exciting.
the winter season
the season of the year that covers the winter months
midwinter
Midwinter is the period in the middle of winter.
Winter of Discontent
the winter of 1978–1979, during which numerous strikes, esp by local authority workers , took place against a background of a government pay freeze
Winter Olympic Games
an international contest of winter sports , esp skiing, held every four years
wintertime
Wintertime is the period of time during which winter lasts.
hairy vetch
a common annual plant ( Vicia villosa ) with hairy foliage and numerous small blue flowers, grown for forage or for use as green manure