autumn

American  

[aw-tuhm] / ˈɔ təm /

noun

1. the season between summer and winter; fall. In the Northern Hemisphere it is from the September equinox to the December solstice; in the Southern Hemisphere it is from the March equinox to the June solstice.

2. a time of full maturity, especially the late stages of full maturity or, sometimes, the early stages of decline.

   to be in the autumn of one's life.

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autumn British  

/ ˈɔːtəm /

noun

1. (sometimes capital)

   1. Also called (esp US): fall.  the season of the year between summer and winter, astronomically from the September equinox to the December solstice in the N hemisphere and from the March equinox to the June solstice in the S hemisphere

   2. ( as modifier )

      autumn leaves

2. a period of late maturity, esp one followed by a decline

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Etymology

Origin of autumn

1325–75; < Latin autumnus; replacing Middle English autumpne < Middle French autompne < Latin

Explanation

Autumn is the season after summer, when leaves fall from trees. It's also the season when the days get shorter and colder, and everything turns brown and drab, but people like it anyway, for the cocoa and cider, probably. Autumn is the third season of the year, coming after summer and before winter, and coinciding with the dropping of leaves from the trees as they go into a winter rest, which is why it's also called fall. We also use autumn metaphorically to talk about the seasons of a person's life, like that luminous older actress in the autumn of her career: she's not yet playing roles in nursing homes, but neither is she scampering around in bikinis.

Example Sentences

Then, as the cool of autumn took hold, it was finally time for the great reveal: underneath an insulated protective cover was old snow.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026

This week’s weather feels more like autumn, but next week, L.A. is expected to see more high temperatures.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Released last autumn, the survey found Hungarians are entirely average.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

England's focus switches to the 50-over format this summer with the next World Cup the one-day international edition in the autumn of 2027.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

A wagon was rare in the summer, when the roads were easily passable, but it was autumn now, and snow would be coming anytime; travel so close to snowfall was nonexistent.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack