month

month — noun

1. each of the twelve segments that a calendar year is split into, lasting roughly

1.nounA1
Definition

each of the twelve segments that a calendar year is split into, lasting roughly 28 to 31 days — for example, the stretch that runs from the start of March to the end of March.

Example

The Watanabe family usually visits their relatives in Taiwan once a month.

collocation: once a month

Rent is due at the beginning of each month.

collocation: each month

Common collocations
  • last month
  • next month
  • this month
  • each month
  • per month
  • once a month
  • every month
  • six months
  • for months
  • a month ago
  • monthly
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

(last/next/this) + month

each/every/per + month

number + month(s)

Usage Note

When used with 'every', 'each', 'last', 'next' or 'this', month usually appears without an article: 'every month', 'last month', not 'the every month'. With ordinal numbers 'first month', 'second month' an article is required: 'the first month of the year'.

Common Mistakes

I will finish the report on next month.
I will finish the report next month.
'next month', 'last month', 'this month' do not take a preposition.
She visits us one time for month.
She visits us once a month.
Frequency is expressed as 'once a month', not 'one time for month'.

2. a very long stretch of time that feels as if it lasts for many months — used esp

2.nounB1
Definition

a very long stretch of time that feels as if it lasts for many months — used especially to say that something hasn't happened for a long period or that something continued without stopping.

Example

Nkechi said she hasn't been to the cinema in months.

negative + in months

It took months for the visa application to be approved.

took + months + for-clause

Common collocations
  • in months
  • for months
  • months on end
  • for months at a time
  • take months
Synonyms
  • ages

    more informal and emphatic: 'I haven't seen you in ages'

  • a long time

    neutral; does not carry the vivid sense of 'many months' but is safer in formal contexts

  • years

    stronger exaggeration; 'I haven't done this in years' implies an even longer gap

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

for months

in months

months + on end

for months at a time

Usage Note

This sense is most natural in the negative pattern 'not … in months' or with 'for months' in affirmative sentences. It is less common in formal writing where precise time expressions such as 'for several months' are preferred.

Common Mistakes

He didn't see his friend for months ago.
He didn't see his friend for months.
'for months' already expresses duration; do not add 'ago'.
I haven't eaten pizza since months.
I haven't eaten pizza in months.
Use 'in months', not 'since months', when saying how long something has not happened.
Idioms

month after month

idiom

happening or continuing repeatedly over many months, one following the other.

Month after month, the garden club planted new flowers along the street.

The construction noise continued month after month with no break.

month by month

idiom

gradually as each month passes; showing a change that accumulates over several months.

The librarian watched the children's reading skills improve month by month.

The company's sales grew month by month throughout the autumn.

once a month

idiom

one time in each month.

The nurse visits the elderly patient once a month to check his blood pressure.

Our team meets once a month to discuss the budget.

every month

idiom

in each month; without missing any month.

The night-shift nurse sends a report to the hospital director every month.

Mert donates a small amount to the local food bank every month.

flavour of the month

idiom

A person or thing that is currently very popular for a short time.

Maya's new dance style became the flavour of the month at school.

Is this diet just the flavour of the month, or will it last?

(in) a month of Sundays

idiom

Used to say that something will take an extremely long time or never happen.

You won't finish that puzzle in a month of Sundays.

Brian said he'd clean his room in a month of Sundays.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words express an extended period, but they differ in intensity and register. 'A long time' is the most neutral and safest in formal or written English ('The team worked for a long time on the proposal'). 'Ages' is highly informal and often carries a tone of impatience or surprise ('I haven't seen you in ages!'). 'Years' exaggerates the duration more strongly than 'months', so swapping them changes the emotional weight. 'Forever' is the strongest — it suggests the period feels unending ('The queue went on forever'). For sense 2 of 'month', the speaker deliberately picks a unit that is shorter than 'years' but still feels drawn-out: 'I waited months for the reply' sounds more realistic than 'I waited years.'

agesa long timeyearsforever ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'month' traces back to Old English 'mōnaþ', which is closely related to 'mōna' (moon). In many ancient cultures, people measured time by the moon's phases — from new moon to new moon — giving us the concept of a month. The word can be traced further through Proto-Germanic '*mēnōþ-' to the Proto-Indo-European root '*mḗh₁n̥s' meaning 'moon' or 'month'. This same root gave rise to Latin 'mēnsis' (month), which is the source of words like 'semester' and 'bimonthly' in English.