A year is a period of twelve months or 365 or 366 days, beginning on the first of January and ending on the thirty-first of December.
The year was 1840.
We had an election last year.
...the number of people on the planet by the year 2050.
2. See also leap year
3. countable noun
A year is any period of twelve months.
The museums attract more than two and a half million visitors a year.
She's done quite a bit of work this past year.
The school has been empty for ten years.
Synonyms: twelve months, calendar year, twelve month period More Synonyms of year
4. countable noun
Year is used to refer to the age of a person. For example, if someone or something is twenty years old or twenty years of age, they have lived or existed for twenty years.
He's 58 years old.
I've been in trouble since I was eleven years of age. [+ of]
This column is ten years old today.
5. countable noun
A school year or academic year is the period of time in each twelve months when schools or universities are openand students are studying there. In Britain and the United States, the school year starts in September.
...the 1990/91 academic year.
The twins didn't have to repeat their second year at school. [+ at]
6. countable noun
You can refer to someone who is, for example, in their first year at school or universityas a first year.
[British]
The first years and second years got a choice of French, German and Spanish.
7. countable noun
A financial or business year is an exact period of twelve months which businesses or institutions use as a basis for organizing their finances.
[business]
He announced big tax increases for the next two financial years.
The company admits it will make a loss for the year ending September.
8. plural noun
You can use years to emphasize that you are referring to a long time.
[emphasis]
I haven't laughed so much in years.
It took me years to fully recover.
People hold onto letters for years and years.
9. plural noun [poss NOUN, usually NOUN preposition]
You can refer to the time you spend in a place or doing an activity as your years there or your years of doing that activity.
The joy turned to tragedy during his years in Cyprus.
...his years as Director of the Manchester City Art Gallery.
10. See also calendar year, fiscal year
11.
See year after year
12.
See year by year
13.
See year in, year out
14.
See a man of his years/a woman of her years
15.
See put years on sb
16.
See all year round
17.
See take years off sb
18. donkey's years
More Synonyms of year
year in British English
(jɪə)
noun
1. Also called: civil year
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
year in American English
(jɪr)
noun
1.
a.
a period of 365 days (in a leap year, 366 days) divided into 12 months and regardedin the Gregorian calendar as beginning Jan. 1 and ending the following Dec. 31
b.
a period of more or less the same length in other calendars
2.
the period (365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds of mean solar time) spent by the sun in making its apparent passage from vernal equinox to vernal equinox: the year of the seasons
: also tropical year, equinoctial year, solar year
3.
the period (365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, and 9.54 seconds of mean solar time) spentby the sun in its apparent passage from a fixed star and back to the same position again: it is the true period of the earth's revolution, and the difference in time between this and the tropical year is due to the precession of the equinoxes
: also sidereal year
4.
a period of 12 lunar months, as in the Jewish calendar
: also lunar year
5.
the period of time occupied by any planet in making one complete revolution fromperihelion to perihelion: for the earth this period is 365 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes, and 53seconds: it is slightly longer than the sidereal year due to the extra time needed to reach an advancing perihelion, the lag being caused by the gravitational pull of the other planets
: also anomalistic year
6.
a period of 12 calendar months reckoned from any date
a year from today
7.
a calendar year of a specified number in a particular era
the year 500 b.c.
8.
a particular annual period of less than 365 days
a school year
9. [pl.]
a.
age
old for his years
b.
time; esp., a long time
he died years ago
Idioms:
year after year
year by year
year in, year out
Word origin
ME yere < OE gear, akin to Ger jahr < IE *yēro-, year, summer (> Gr hōros, time, year, OSlav jara, spring) < base *ei-, to go (> L ire, to go): basic sense “that which passes”
More idioms containing
year
since the year dot
COBUILD Collocations
year
another year
next year
Examples of 'year' in a sentence
year
We have been together for two years.
The Sun (2016)
Those early years are now long gone.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In one year she ran a dozen marathons in as many months.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The triplets are in the same school year as Hendrix.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In the past twenty years, typical life expectancy has improved by two years per decade.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
They end up forking out 305 a year too much for gas and electricity.
The Sun (2016)
But in the following years the City reinvented itself as the leading destination for financiers to trade and hedge their newly floating currencies.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
These animals can live 25 to 30 years of age.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
If the past is anything to judge by, the real impact of the 2016 year of revolution will not be fully understood until far in the future.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The next year was a year of revolutions.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It took me almost twenty years to confirm my suspicions.
Jan Fennell, Foreword by Monty Roberts THE DOG LISTENER: Learning the Language of your Best Friend (2002)
Rental purchase agreements typically involve the payment of high interest loans over a ten year period.
Forrest, Ray & Murie, Alan & Williams, Peter Home-ownership - differentiation and fragmentation (1990)
For much of the year the index traded sideways or downwards.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Block out your appointments on the calendar a year ahead and let no one interfere with them.
Christianity Today (2000)
Economists have dreamed of such a tax and welfare revolution for years.
The Sun (2009)
Organisations at least three years old were eligible.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The number and size of these cells is thought to become fixed by about the end of the first year of life.
French, Barbara Coping with Bulimia (1987)
Twenty years ago the City would hire people with classics degrees.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We are of the same generation, born within a year of one another.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The aluminium price has risen about 55 per cent in two years.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Will it still be here in a year's time?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Set a time limit so you know you're not going to spend all next year feeling like this.
The Sun (2015)
Despite this, he now enjoys a cordial relationship with the school and last year was asked to open his rebuilt old house.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
I could show you a woman aged 70 this year who is far more beautiful.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Word lists with
year
General vocabulary
In other languages
year
British English: year /jɪə/ NOUN
A year is a period of twelve months, beginning on the first of January and ending on the thirty-first of December.
The year was 1840.
American English: year
Arabic: سَنَة
Brazilian Portuguese: ano
Chinese: 年
Croatian: godina
Czech: rok
Danish: år
Dutch: jaar
European Spanish: año
Finnish: vuosi
French: année
German: Jahr
Greek: έτος
Italian: anno
Japanese: 年
Korean: 연
Norwegian: år
Polish: rok
European Portuguese: ano
Romanian: an
Russian: год
Latin American Spanish: año
Swedish: år
Thai: ปี
Turkish: yıl
Ukrainian: рік
Vietnamese: năm thời gian
All related terms of 'year'
base year
a year used as an index for some phenomenon measured in other years
five-year
happening over a period of five years
gap year
A gap year is a period of time during which a student takes a break from studying after they have finished school and before they start college or university.
half-year
a period of 6 months
Holy Year
a period of remission from sin , esp one granted every 25 years
leap year
A leap year is a year which has 366 days. The extra day is the 29th February. There is a leap year every four years.
New Year
New Year or the New Year is the time when people celebrate the start of a year.
next year
A year is a period of twelve months or 365 or 366 days, beginning on the first of January and ending on the thirty-first of December .
off year
An off-year is a year when no major political elections are held.
pack-year
a measure of the amount of cigarettes a person has smoked over an extended period, equal to one packet of 20 every day for one year
peak year
a year when something reaches its point of greatest development , strength , etc
tax year
A tax year is a particular period of twelve months which is used by the government as a basis for calculating taxes and for organizing its finances and accounts . In Britain , the tax year begins on April 6th and ends on April 5th. In the United States , the tax year begins on January 1st and ends on December 31st.
year end
the end of the financial year
year head
a senior teacher who is responsible for a year in a secondary school
year-long
Year-long is used to describe something that lasts for a year.
-year-old
-year-old combines with numbers to describe the age of people or things.
year zero
the beginning (1975) of the period during which Cambodia was under the control of the Khmer Rouge
year by year
If something changes year by year , it changes gradually each year.
civil year
→ calendar year
first year
the first year when someone is at university or college
fiscal year
The fiscal year is the same as the → financial year .
great year
one complete cycle of the precession of the equinoxes ; about 25 800 years
light year
A light year is the distance that light travels in a year.
lunar year
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
school year
a twelve-month period, (in Britain ) usually starting in late summer and continuing for three terms until the following summer, during which pupils remain in the same class
senior year
(in the US) the fourth year or 12th grade of a student's high school period
sixth year
(in Scotland) the most senior class in a secondary school to which pupils , usually above the legal leaving age, may proceed to take sixth-year studies, retake or take additional Highers , etc
solar year
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
Sothic year
the fixed year of the ancient Egyptians , 365 days 6 hours long, beginning with the appearance of the star Sirius on the eastern horizon at dawn , which heralded the yearly flooding of the Nile . A Sothic cycle contained 1460 such years
year-round
Year-round is used to describe something that happens , exists , or is done throughout the year.
year tutor
a senior teacher who is responsible for a year in a secondary school
academic year
the period of the year during which students attend school or university
another year
A year is a period of twelve months or 365 or 366 days, beginning on the first of January and ending on the thirty-first of December .
calendar year
A calendar year is a period of twelve months from January 1 to December 31. Calendar year is often used in business to compare with the → financial year .
New Year's
New Year's is another name for → New Year's Day or → New Year's Eve .
Platonic year
→ great year
sidereal year
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
taxable year
a period of twelve months used by a government as a basis for calculating taxes
tropical year
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
vintage year
an year in which the wine that is produced is of excellent quality
accounting year
a period of time for which accounts are drawn up
budgetary year
the financial year a budget is drawn up for
financial year
A financial year is a period of twelve months , used by government, business , and other organizations in order to calculate their budgets, profits , and losses . Financial year is often used in business to compare with the → calendar year .
induction year
the first year of a newly qualified teacher's career , in which he or she has a lighter workload and follows a programme of professional development and support provided by an experienced mentor ; at the end of this year, the teacher is formally assessed against the core professional standards
sabbatical year
a year during which the land was to be left uncultivated , debts annulled , etc, supposed to be observed every seventh year by the ancient Israelites according to Leviticus 25
six-year-old
being six years in age
the year dot
The year dot is used to mean a very long time ago.
year after year
If something happens year after year , it happens regularly every year.
all-year-round
If something happens all year round , it happens throughout the year.
anomalistic year
the interval between two successive passages of the earth through perihelion ; 365.25964 mean solar days
Chinese translation of 'year'
year
(jɪəʳ)
n(c)
年 (nián)
(Scol, Univ) 学(學)年 (xuénián) (个(個), gè)
(Comm) 年度 (niándù)
[of wine]年份 (niánfèn)
in the year 2000在2000年 (zài èr líng líng líng nián)
every year每年 (měi nián)
this year今年 (jīnnián)
last year去年 (qùnián)
next year明年 (míngnián)
a or per year每年 (měi nián)
all year round一年到头(頭) (yī nián dào tóu)
year in, year out年复(復)一年 (nián fù yī nián)
he's 8 years old他8岁(歲) (tā bā suì)
an eight-year-old child一个(個)8岁(歲)的小孩 (yī gè bā suì de xiǎohái)
I hadn't seen him for or in years我有好多年没(沒)见(見)他了 (wǒ yǒu hǎo duō nián méi jiàn tā le)
we lived there for years我们(們)住在那儿(兒)有好多年了 (wǒmen zhù zài nàr yǒu hǎo duō nián le)
yr
abbr
(= year) 年 (nián)
(noun)
Definition
a period of twelve months from any specified date
She's done quite a bit of work this last year.
Synonyms
twelve months
calendar year
twelve month period
(plural noun)
Definition
age, usually old age
His advanced years have made him absent-minded.
Synonyms
old age
age
senility
dotage
senescence
second childhood
eld (archaic)
idiom
See year in, year out
related words
related adjectiveannual
Usage note
In writing spans of years, it is important to avoid ambiguity. A common style with four-figure dates is to write the first date in full and the last two digits of the second date: 1860-73, except where the two dates fall in different centuries, in which case both dates are given in full: 1850-1916. In three- and two-figure dates, the first and last dates of the span are both written in full to avoid ambiguity: 636-612 B.C. It is advisable to specify B.C. or A.D. in years under 1000, unless this is self-evident from the context.