# Oct

/ˈɔkt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/oct
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. the month

noun · CEFR A1

a short way to write October, the tenth month of the year.

For teachers: a standard abbreviation for October, typically used in dates and informal writing.

- The event is scheduled for Oct 15th at the city library.
- The contract was signed on Oct 24, ensuring that the project would commence before the end of the fiscal year.

### 2. computing

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical · Informal

a way of counting using eight numbers (0 to 7) instead of ten.

For teachers: a base-8 numbering system commonly used in computing as a more compact representation of binary numbers.

- The programmer changed the file permissions using an oct value.
- While hexadecimal is more common today, legacy systems often represent file permissions and character encodings in oct format.

Usage: Often used as a prefix or a shorthand for 'octal' in programming contexts.

## Examples

- The next meeting is on 15 Oct.
- Please ensure all invoices for the Oct billing cycle are submitted to the accounting department by Friday afternoon.
- While the full name is preferred in formal correspondence, the abbreviation Oct is frequently employed in technical documentation and medical charts to save horizontal space without sacrificing clarity.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.