- 1(also calendar year) [countable] the period from January 1 to December 31, that is 365 or 366 days, divided into 12 months in the year 1865 I lost my job earlier this year. Elections take place every year. The museum is open all year round (= during the whole year). see leap year, new year
- 2[countable] a period of 12 months, measured from any particular time It's exactly a year since I started working here. She gave up teaching three years ago. in the first year of their marriage the prewar/war/postwar years (= the period before/during/after the war) I have happy memories of my years in Paris (= the time I spent there). see gap year, light year, off year
- 3[countable] a period of 12 months connected with a particular activity the academic/school year the tax year see fiscal year
- 4[countable, usually plural] age; time of life He was 14 years old when it happened. She looks young for her years. They were both only 20 years of age. a twenty-year-old man He died in his sixtieth year. She's getting on in years (= is no longer young).
- 5years [plural] (informal) a long time It's years since we last met. They haven't seen each other for years. That's the best movie I've seen in years. We've had a lot of fun over the years. Idioms
the last years of someone's life
a person or thing that people decide is the best in a particular field in a particular year She was chosen as mother of the year.
used to emphasize that you will/would never do something I'd never have thought of that in a million years.
used in polite expressions to describe someone as “very old” He was a man of advanced years. (humorous) Even at my advanced age, I still know how to enjoy myself!
to make someone feel or look older The illness put years on him.
to make someone feel or look younger That haircut takes years off her.
the time when a new century/year starts It was built at the turn of the century.
every year for many years People return year after year.
as the years pass; each year Year by year their affection for each other grew stronger.
every year
any particular year after the birth of Christ
a very long time ago I've been going there every summer since the year one.
(used especially when talking about figures, prices, etc.) each year, compared with the last year Spending has increased year on year. a year-on-year increase in spending
Check pronunciation: year