year
♦♦♦ year /j'ɪər/ (years)
1 [N-COUNT]
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.
see also leap year
2 [N-COUNT]
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.
3 [N-COUNT] num N adj/prep
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...
This column is ten years old today.
4 [N-COUNT] usu adj/ord N
A school year or academic year is the period of time in each twelve months when schools or universities are open and 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.
5 [N-COUNT] ord N
You can refer to someone who is, for example, in their first year at school or university as a first year. (BRIT)
The first years and second years got a choice of French, German and Spanish.
6 [N-COUNT] with supp
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.
7 [N-PLURAL]
You can use years to emphasize that you are referring to a long time.
I haven't laughed so much in years...
It took me years to fully recover...
= age
8
see also calendar year, fiscal year
9 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If something happens year after year, it happens regularly every year.
Regulars return year after year...
10 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If something changes year by year, it changes gradually each year.
This problem has increased year by year...
The department has been shrinking year by year because of budget cuts.
11 [PHRASE] PHR after v, PHR with cl
If you say something happens all year round or all the year round, it happens continually throughout the year.
Town gardens are ideal because they produce flowers nearly all year round...
Drinking and driving is a problem all the year round.
12
donkey's years: see donkeycal|en|dar year (calendar years)
[N-COUNT]
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.fi|nan|cial year (financial years)
[N-COUNT] usu sing, usu with supp
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. (BRIT BUSINESS; in AM, use fiscal year)
...33,000 possible job losses in the coming financial year.
= fiscal yearfis|cal year (fiscal years)
[N-COUNT] usu sing, usu with supp
The fiscal year is the same as the financial year. (BUSINESS)
...the budget for the coming fiscal year.gap year
[N-SING]
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. (BRIT)
I went around the world in my gap year.leap year (leap years)
[N-COUNT]
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.light year (light years)
1 [N-COUNT]
A light year is the distance that light travels in a year.
...a star system millions of light years away.
2 [N-COUNT] usu pl, N prep/adv
You can say that two things are light years apart to emphasize a very great difference or a very long distance or period of time between them. (INFORMAL)
She says the French education system is light years ahead of the English one...tax year (tax years)
[N-COUNT]
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.
1 [N-COUNT]
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.
see also leap year
2 [N-COUNT]
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.
3 [N-COUNT] num N adj/prep
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...
This column is ten years old today.
4 [N-COUNT] usu adj/ord N
A school year or academic year is the period of time in each twelve months when schools or universities are open and 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.
5 [N-COUNT] ord N
You can refer to someone who is, for example, in their first year at school or university as a first year. (BRIT)
The first years and second years got a choice of French, German and Spanish.
6 [N-COUNT] with supp
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.
7 [N-PLURAL]
You can use years to emphasize that you are referring to a long time.
I haven't laughed so much in years...
It took me years to fully recover...
= age
8
see also calendar year, fiscal year
9 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If something happens year after year, it happens regularly every year.
Regulars return year after year...
10 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If something changes year by year, it changes gradually each year.
This problem has increased year by year...
The department has been shrinking year by year because of budget cuts.
11 [PHRASE] PHR after v, PHR with cl
If you say something happens all year round or all the year round, it happens continually throughout the year.
Town gardens are ideal because they produce flowers nearly all year round...
Drinking and driving is a problem all the year round.
12
donkey's years: see donkeycal|en|dar year (calendar years)
[N-COUNT]
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.fi|nan|cial year (financial years)
[N-COUNT] usu sing, usu with supp
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. (BRIT BUSINESS; in AM, use fiscal year)
...33,000 possible job losses in the coming financial year.
= fiscal yearfis|cal year (fiscal years)
[N-COUNT] usu sing, usu with supp
The fiscal year is the same as the financial year. (BUSINESS)
...the budget for the coming fiscal year.gap year
[N-SING]
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. (BRIT)
I went around the world in my gap year.leap year (leap years)
[N-COUNT]
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.light year (light years)
1 [N-COUNT]
A light year is the distance that light travels in a year.
...a star system millions of light years away.
2 [N-COUNT] usu pl, N prep/adv
You can say that two things are light years apart to emphasize a very great difference or a very long distance or period of time between them. (INFORMAL)
She says the French education system is light years ahead of the English one...tax year (tax years)
[N-COUNT]
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.