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year

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noun American English pronunciation: year /jɪr/ 
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singularyear
pluralyears
Other entries for this word
  1. 1
    [countable] a period of 365 days, or 366 in a leap year, divided into 12 months

    He lived in Paris for a few years.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of year
    1. a.
      used about a particular period of time, beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31, or between the first and last dates on some other calendar

      We're hoping to sell the house by the end of the year.

      last/next year (=the year before or after the present year):

      Profits are lower than last year.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of year
    2. b.
      used about the period during which an institution operates, or about the system that it uses for dividing time
      the financial/fiscal/tax year:

      a budget for the fiscal year 2002

      the first weeks of the new school year

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of year
    3. c.
      used for talking about age

      Their son is only five years old.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of year
  2. 2

    years

     [plural] used about a particular period of time in history

    Conditions were very different in the postwar years (=the period after the war).

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of year
    1. a.
      a very long time

      It wasn't until years later that I realized how foolish I'd been.

      for years:

      He hasn't been back to the country for years.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of year
See also

This is the American English definition of year. View British English definition of year.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

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