bimonthly

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Happening every two months.

   Grammar: Used before a noun: 'a bimonthly meeting'. For twice a month, many writers prefer 'semimonthly' to avoid confusion.

   Patterns

   • a bimonthly event
   • bimonthly payments

   The club holds a bimonthly meeting, so we meet six times a year.

   They receive a bimonthly magazine in January, March, May, and so on.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Happening twice a month.

   Grammar: This meaning is less common and can cause confusion; 'semimonthly' is clearer.

   Patterns

   • a bimonthly salary
   • bimonthly payments

   Some workers are paid bimonthly, on the 1st and 15th.

   The newsletter is published bimonthly, every two weeks.

3. 3adverb

   Every two months, or twice a month.

   Grammar: Comes after the verb or at the end of a clause: 'The magazine appears bimonthly.'

   Patterns

   • published bimonthly
   • meet bimonthly

   The journal is published bimonthly.

   The committee meets bimonthly to review progress.

Common combinations

bimonthly magazine

She subscribes to a bimonthly magazine about gardening.

bimonthly payments

The loan requires bimonthly payments of $200.

published bimonthly

The report is published bimonthly, so we get six issues a year.

bimonthly meeting

Our bimonthly meeting is scheduled for next Thursday.

Synonyms and how they differ

semimonthly

Means 'twice a month' and is clearer; use it when you want to avoid the ambiguity of 'bimonthly'.

biweekly

Means 'every two weeks' or 'twice a week'; like 'bimonthly', it can be ambiguous.

Word family

monthly adjective

Happening once a month.

bimonthly noun

A publication that comes out every two months.

Commonly confused: bimonthly or semimonthly? bimonthly or biweekly?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “bimonthly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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