february

/ˈfɛbruˌɛri/

proper noun

  1. The second month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, between January and March. It has 28 days in most years and 29 in a leap year. Always capitalized.

    A1

    usually uncountable, no article; always capitalized; abbreviation: Feb.; used with 'in' (in February) and 'on' with a date (on 14 February)

    • "My birthday is in February."A1
    • "February is the shortest month of the year."A1
    • "In some years, February has 29 days because it is a leap year."B1
    • "The company will release its annual report at the end of February, after the winter review is complete."B2

Common mistakes

  • Febuary→February

    The first 'r' is often dropped in spelling and pronunciation, but the correct spelling is 'February' with 'br' followed by 'u-a-r-y'.

  • in February 14→on February 14

    Use 'in' with the month alone (in February) but 'on' when a specific date is given (on February 14).

  • in the February→in February

    Month names take no article before them.

Collocations

in Februaryearly Februarylate Februarymid-Februarylast Februaryevery February

Word family

FebFebruarysJanuaryMarch