bimonthly

1 of 3

adjective

bi·​month·​ly (ˌ)bī-ˈmən(t)th-lē 

1

: occurring every two months

2

: occurring twice a month : semimonthly

What do bimonthly and biweekly mean?: Usage Guide

Many people are puzzled about bimonthly and biweekly, which are often ambiguous because they are formed from two different senses of bi-: "occurring every two" and "occurring two times." This ambiguity has been in existence for nearly a century and a half and cannot be eliminated by the dictionary. The chief difficulty is that many users of these words assume that others know exactly what they mean, and they do not bother to make their context clear. So if you need bimonthly or biweekly, you should leave some clues in your context to the sense of bi- you mean. And if you need the meaning "twice a," you can substitute semi- for bi-. Biannual and biennial are usually differentiated.

bimonthly

2 of 3

adverb

1

: once every two months

2

: twice a month

bimonthly

3 of 3

noun

: a bimonthly publication

Examples of bimonthly in a Sentence

Adjective

Undercover officers attended and videotaped some of the weekly or bimonthly fights held at eight secluded sites in Harris County. —Jennifer Leahy & Roma Khanna, Houston Chronicle, 16 Nov. 2008

Computer Book Review, a bimonthly magazine, carries reviews of 45-50 books in computer-related fields in each issue.  … In the November/December issue, the Review publishes an annual buying guide containing summaries of the year's reviews. —Publishers Weekly, 3 June 1983

The group holds bimonthly meetings in January, March, May, and so on.

The group holds bimonthly meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

Adverb

Opponents argued that the change is unnecessary and that it could result both in less productivity for the council and confusion for residents accustomed to watching council meetings on television. Supporters countered that meeting bimonthly will allow for lengthy subcommittee discussions on the off weeks. Subcommittee meetings also are televised live. —Michael Lafleur, Lowell (Massachusetts) Sun, 14 May 2008

This column will now appear bimonthly beginning with the March 15 issue.  … we think we can cover quite handily the year's work from Christian publishers in six columns, leaving some space in the unscheduled months for the occasional feature column, such as a roundup of best books. —Booklist, 15 Jan. 1995

Noun

The original five Mental Floss staffers had no journalistic experience, except for one kid who'd worked on his high-school newspaper. Now they run a bimonthly with 10,000 subscribers and a newsstand presence of 50,000 copies. —Mary Carmichael, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2002

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Foreign Affairs publishes new issues 6 times a year, on a bimonthly schedule. —Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2024

This is the first installment of our new bimonthly column Crews on Cruise, spotlighting the people who work behind the scenes of the world’s most memorable voyages—from bartenders and entertainers to ship captains and expedition leaders. —Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Nov. 2024

Adverb

My paycheck frequency also varies, from weekly to bimonthly. —R29 Team, refinery29.com, 18 Oct. 2024

Debt: $0 Paycheck amount (bimonthly): $2,280 Pronouns: She/her Monthly Expenses Housing costs: $1,266 to rent a three-bedroom apartment with two roommates. —R29 Team, refinery29.com, 5 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1839, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

bimonthly

1 of 3 adjective

bi·​month·​ly (ˈ)bī-ˈmən(t)th-lē 

1

: occurring every two months

2

: occurring twice a month : semimonthly

bimonthly

2 of 3 adverb

1

: once every two months

2

: twice a month

bimonthly

3 of 3 noun

: a bimonthly publication