year
year — noun
1. a period of 365 days (or 366 in a leap year) beginning on January 1 and ending o
a period of 365 days (or 366 in a leap year) beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31, according to the Gregorian calendar. This is the standard unit used for dates, contracts, and official records.
The year 2025 has 365 days and starts on a Wednesday.
Renata was born in the year 1999, on a hot day in July.
in the year + number for dates
February has 29 days during a leap year, which happens every four years.
leap year — year with an extra day in February
The company's profits increased by 15 percent last year.
My contract runs until the end of next year.
- last year
- next year
- this year
- the year 2000
- leap year
- calendar year
- New Year
- calendar year
more formal; specifically means Jan 1 to Dec 31
- twelve-month period
descriptive; can start at any point, not just January
Grammar Patterns
the year + number
in + year
for + number + years
Usage Note
When written as a number, the year is usually preceded by in, not on (❌ on 2025 ✅ in 2025). Year numbers before 1000 are often read as individual digits: 1066 → 'ten sixty-six'.
Common Mistakes
2. any 365-day span used by an organisation or field for planning and record-keepin
any 365-day span used by an organisation or field for planning and record-keeping, starting and ending on a date the group chooses rather than on January 1.
The financial year ends on March 31 for this company.
financial year — the 12-month accounting period for a business
Dario's team finished the season with a record of 20 wins this year.
Farmers in this region measure their year from the first spring rain.
The tax year in Australia runs from July 1 to June 30.
tax year — the 12-month period used for calculating tax
Our reporting year covers sales from October through September.
- financial year
- tax year
- fiscal year
- reporting year
- school year
- growing year
- fiscal year
specifically about government or company accounting
- tax year
the 12-month period used for filing taxes
Grammar Patterns
financial year
tax year
academic year
year ending/starting + date
Usage Note
Common preceding words include financial, fiscal, tax, academic, school, and seasonal. The activity type often appears as a compound modifier: fiscal year, growing year, tournament year.
Common Mistakes
3. the months when a school, college, or university holds classes, usually running
the months when a school, college, or university holds classes, usually running from late summer to the following spring or summer and lasting about nine months.
The school year in Taiwan usually begins in late August.
school year — the teaching period at a school
Hiro's university has three terms in one academic year.
Students get a long summer break at the end of the academic year.
Baraka finished all his exams before the year ended.
The college year is divided into two semesters and a summer session.
college year — the teaching period at a university/college
- school year
- academic year
- college year
- university year
- summer break
- academic year
the formal term for the teaching period at a university or school
- school year
used mainly for primary and secondary schools
Grammar Patterns
the + adjective + year
year + number
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 3 refers only to the teaching portion of a calendar year. In many countries the academic year spans parts of two calendar years (e.g., September 2024 to June 2025).
Common Mistakes
❌ 'I'll graduate this academic year in December.' — if the academic year ends in June, December falls in the same calendar year but a different academic year. Check your school's calendar.
4. all the learners who begin studying at a school or university at the same time a
all the learners who begin studying at a school or university at the same time and advance through the curriculum together, forming a single cohort.
The first-year students attended an orientation session this morning.
first-year — students in their first year of study
Otis is in the same year as his cousin at university.
The 2024 year at this law school has over 200 students.
the [number] year — the cohort that started in that year
Chidi's year organised a charity fundraiser for the local hospital.
Second-year students often help new arrivals during the first week.
- first year
- second year
- final year
- year group
- the class of
Grammar Patterns
the + ordinal + year
year + number
Usage Note
Common in British English; American English uses grade or class instead (e.g., 'she is in the tenth grade'). The ordinal number is often hyphenated when used as a compound adjective: first-year student, third-year course.
Common Mistakes
❌ 'I'm a year 3 student.' (American context) — US English uses 'a third-year student' or 'a junior'.
5. a very long period of time, used in casual speech to emphasise that something ha
a very long period of time, used in casual speech to emphasise that something has continued or not happened for many twelve-month cycles.
Selim has not visited his hometown in years.
in years — for a very long time (informal)
It has been years since Yael last saw her childhood friend.
Imran quit smoking years ago and feels much healthier now.
I have not touched a piano for years, so my playing is rusty.
The old theatre sat empty for years before it was renovated.
for years — for a very long time (emphatic)
- for years
- in years
- years ago
- take years
- ages
equally informal, British English; 'I haven't seen you in ages!'
- a lifetime
stronger; means many years or decades
- a short while
a brief period, opposite of years
- a moment
a very short time
Grammar Patterns
for years
years ago
it's been years since…
Usage Note
This sense is almost always in the plural (years) and is informal. It typically appears in negative or emphatic statements (haven't done something in years, waited for years). The singular (a year) does not carry this meaning.
Common Mistakes
6. a unit used for stating how old someone is or how long a living thing has existe
a unit used for stating how old someone is or how long a living thing has existed; one year of age equals twelve months of life.
Anna is ten years old and loves reading adventure stories.
number + years old — standard structure for stating age
The old oak tree in the park is at least 200 years old.
Élise spent her early years in a small village near Lyon.
Christopher looks very young for his years, despite being over fifty.
for his/her years — considering someone's age
People over sixty-five years of age can get a discount on the bus.
- years old
- years of age
- early years
- later years
- young for one's years
- age
the general concept; 'what is your age?' is more formal than 'how old are you?'
Grammar Patterns
number + years old
number + years of age
a person's years
Usage Note
After stating age, use years old (informal) or years of age (formal). The phrase years young is sometimes used playfully for older people but is not standard. In formal writing, a hyphen is used in compound adjectives: a ten-year-old child.
Common Mistakes
year after year
idiomhappening every year for many years, often suggesting that the situation does not change.
The farmers planted rice in the same fields year after year.
Year after year, the festival draws thousands of visitors to the town.
year in, year out
idiomcontinuing or repeating every year without change, often implying boredom or routine.
Year in, year out, she took the same train to the same office building.
The team finishes near the bottom of the league year in, year out.
the year dot
idioma very long time ago; since before anyone can remember.
That old bakery has been here since the year dot.
Families have celebrated the harvest in this village since the year dot.
put years on someone
idiomto make someone look or feel much older than they are.
The stress of that job really put years on him.
The illness put years on Grandma, and she moved much more slowly now.
to make someone look or feel much younger than they are.
Getting more sleep has taken years off her appearance.
His new haircut took ten years off him, according to his friends.
used to say that you will never do something or that something will never happen.
Not in a hundred years would I agree to work with that manager again.
Not in a hundred years did she expect to win the lottery.
turn of the year
idiomthe time around the end of December and the beginning of January when one calendar year changes to the next.
Sales usually drop at the turn of the year.
The company plans to launch the new product around the turn of the year.
year on year
idiomeach year compared with the previous one, used especially in financial or statistical contexts.
The company reported a 5 percent increase in sales year on year.
Energy prices have risen year on year for the past five years.
year — noun
1. used after an ordinal number (first, second, third, etc.) to form a compound tha
used after an ordinal number (first, second, third, etc.) to form a compound that describes a student at a particular level of study within a school, college, or university.
The first-year students at this college live in shared dormitories.
first-year — compound adjective describing a student's level
A third-year medical student assisted with the surgery.
Second-year undergraduates must choose their major by April.
The school held a special lunch for all final-year students.
Fourth-year architecture students presented their final projects to a panel of judges.
fourth-year — compound with ordinal number indicating level
- first-year student
- second-year course
- final-year project
- third-year undergraduate
Grammar Patterns
ordinal number + -year
number + -year + noun
Usage Note
The compound is always hyphenated when used adjectivally before a noun (a first-year student) but not when year stands alone as a noun (she is in her first year). In US English the equivalent often uses grade (ninth-grade student) or the class year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior).
Common Mistakes
At some point in the future, often after a long time.
We may need to build a new school further down the road.
Will electric cars be affordable ten years down the road?
The last part of a person's life, when they are old.
Grandma spent her declining years reading and gardening.
He wrote his memoirs in his declining years.
donkey’s (years)
idiomA very long time.
I haven't seen my cousin for donkey's years.
That song has been popular for donkey's years.
A person or thing chosen as the best in a particular field for that year.
She was named athlete of the year by the sports magazine.
That model was car of the year in 2020.
Used to say that you would never do something or that something is very unlikely.
I would never eat insects in a million years.
Not in a hundred years did I expect to win the lottery.
A polite way to say that someone is very old.
The professor, a man of advanced years, still teaches classes.
Even at her advanced age, she walks to the market daily.
To make someone look or feel older than they are.
The stress of the job put years on my father.
That gray hair dye really puts years on you.
the seven-year itch
idiomThe idea that after seven years of marriage, people may want new sexual experiences.
They divorced after seven years, blaming the seven-year itch.
Is the seven-year itch a real phenomenon or just a myth?
Since a very long time ago, often since the beginning of something.
This tradition has been around since the year dot.
I've known her from the year dot; we grew up together.
To make someone look or feel younger.
A good night's sleep takes years off you.
That new haircut took years off my aunt.
The time when a new century or year begins.
Many buildings were constructed at the turn of the century.
Sales have increased since the turn of the year.
year after year
idiomEvery year for many years, repeatedly.
The festival attracts tourists year after year.
Year after year, the river floods the same fields.
year by year
idiomGradually as the years pass; each year.
The town's population grows year by year.
Year by year, technology becomes more advanced.
year in, year out
idiomEvery year without changing; continuously.
She works at the same factory year in, year out.
Year in, year out, the birds return to this tree.
A particular year after the birth of Christ, used in formal dates.
The castle was built in the year of grace 1450.
In the year of our Lord 2020, the pandemic began.
year on year
idiomEach year compared with the previous one.
Profits have increased year on year for a decade.
The report shows a year-on-year drop in sales.
Word family
- yearlyadjectiveB1
- yearlyadverbB1
- yearbooknounB2
- yearlingnounC1
- yearlongadjectiveB2
- midyearadjectiveC1
- year-roundadjectiveB2
- new yearnounA2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Year is the most common word for the 365-day cycle from January to December, used in everyday conversation (last year, next year, the year 2025). Calendar year is more technical, used in legal and financial documents to distinguish January–December from other 12-month periods (e.g., the calendar year versus the fiscal year). Twelve-month period is a neutral, descriptive phrase that does not assume a January start — it works for any 365-day span beginning at any point (a twelve-month period from April to March). Annum is very formal and limited to Latin-derived expressions such as per annum (meaning 'each year') in business and academic writing; it never stands alone as a noun in modern English. In daily use, year covers nearly all situations, while the others serve specific contexts.
Common collocations
Adverbs
- annually
- yearly
- each year
- every year
- per annum
Phrases
- year after year
- year by year
- year in, year out
- year on year
- turn of the year
- the beginning of the year
- the end of the year
- this time of year
Prepositions
- in (the year 2025)
- for (three years)
- during (the year)
- over (the years)
- since (last year)
- by (the end of the year)
- within (a year)
Etymology
Year comes from Old English gear (pronounced with a 'y' sound), meaning 'a period of time' or 'a year.' This traces back to the Proto-Germanic word *jērą, which itself comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *yeh₁r- meaning 'year' or 'season.' The word is related to German Jahr, Dutch jaar, and the Greek hōra ('season, hour,' which also gave English hour). The original sense in Indo-European was likely 'that which completes a cycle,' reflecting how ancient peoples measured time by the number of times the seasons repeated.