the period of time, the calendar year, containing 365 days or in a leap year 366 days. It is based on the Gregorian calendar, being divided into 12 calendar months, and is reckoned from January 1 to December 31
2.
a period of twelve months from any specified date, such as one based on the four seasons
3.
a specific period of time, usually occupying a definite part or parts of a twelve-month period, used for some particular activity
a school year
4. Also called: astronomical year, tropical year
the period of time, the solar year, during which the earth makes one revolution around the sun, measured between two successive vernal equinoxes: equal to 365.242 19 days
5.
the period of time, the sidereal year, during which the earth makes one revolution around the sun, measured between twosuccessive conjunctions of a particular distant star: equal to 365.256 36 days
6.
the period of time, the lunar year, containing 12 lunar months and equal to 354.3671 days
7.
the period of time taken by a specified planet to complete one revolution around the sun
the Martian year
8. (plural)
age, esp old age
a man of his years should be more careful
9. (plural)
time
in years to come
10. (plural)
a long time
It took me years to recover.
I haven't laughed so much in years.
People hold onto letters for years and years.
I hadn't seen him for years
11.
a group of pupils or students, who are taught or study together, divided into classes at school
they are the best year we've ever had for history
12. put years on
13. take years off
14. the year dot
15. year and a day
16. year in, year out
▶ Related adjective: ▶ USAGE In writing spans of years, it is important to choose a style that avoids ambiguity.The practice adopted in this dictionary is, in four-figure dates, to specify the lasttwo digits of the second date if it falls within the same century as the first: 1801–08; 1850–51; 1899–1901. In writing three-figure bc dates, it is advisable to give both dates in full: 159–156 bc, not 159–56 bc unless of course the span referred to consists of 103 years rather than three years.It is also advisable to specify bc or ad in years under 1000 unless the context makes this self-evidentannual
Word origin
Old English gear; related to Gothic jēr, Old Saxon, Old High German jār, Old Norse ār year, Polish jar springtime, Latin hōrnus of this year
solar year in American English
see year (sense 2)
Examples of 'solar year' in a sentence
solar year
This averages out at 29.53 days, which makes a lunar year 11 days shorter than a solar year.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The disc was used to determine when a 13th month should be added to the lunar year, which has shorter months than the solar year.