What does "year" mean?

1. (365 days / 12 months) a period of 365 days (or 366 in a leap year) divided into 12 months. 2. (calendar period) the time from January 1st to December 31st. 3. (school or work cycle) a part of the year used for a specific activity, like school or business. 4. (age or grade level) a group of students who are at the same level in school. 5. (astronomy) the time it takes for any planet to go around its sun.

How do you use "year"?

Countable; usually takes a plural form when referring to a quantity of time. Often modified by another noun, such as 'school year', 'academic year', or 'fiscal year'. Commonly used in the UK to refer to school levels, whereas American English prefers 'grade'. Often specified by the name of the planet, such as a 'Martian year'.

year — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I am 25 year old."?

No — say "I am 25 years old.". When stating your age, 'year' must be plural unless it is used as an adjective before a noun, like 'a 25-year-old man'.

Word

01365 days / 12 months

A1 · Beginner Countable noun

n. a period of 365 days (or 366 in a leap year) divided into 12 months.

n. the period of approximately 365.25 days required for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun.

“We moved to this house exactly one year ago today.”

“The company reported a significant increase in global revenue compared to the previous year, despite the challenging economic climate.”

Usage

Countable; usually takes a plural form when referring to a quantity of time.

Pitfall

I am 25 year old.

I am 25 years old.

When stating your age, 'year' must be plural unless it is used as an adjective before a noun, like 'a 25-year-old man'.

Synonyms

calendar year

02calendar period

A1 · Beginner Countable noun

n. the time from January 1st to December 31st.

n. the period of time starting on January 1 and ending on December 31 in the Gregorian calendar.

“Happy New Year to everyone in the office.”

“The festival is held every year in late spring to celebrate the local harvest and community traditions.”

Synonyms

twelvemonth

03school or work cycle

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. a part of the year used for a specific activity, like school or business.

n. a period of time, often less than twelve months, dedicated to a specific recurring cycle such as education or finance.

“The school year starts in September and ends in June.”

“The university's academic year is divided into two semesters, with a short winter break between them.”

Usage

Often modified by another noun, such as 'school year', 'academic year', or 'fiscal year'.

Synonyms

session term

04age or grade level

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun British English

n. a group of students who are at the same level in school.

n. a cohort of students who enter or complete a level of education at the same time.

“My daughter is in Year 4 at the local primary school.”

“The entire year was gathered in the assembly hall to hear the headteacher's announcement regarding the upcoming field trip.”

Usage

Commonly used in the UK to refer to school levels, whereas American English prefers 'grade'.

Teaching tip

In the UK, students might say 'I am in Year 10', while in the US they would say 'I am in 10th grade'.

Synonyms

grade cohort

05astronomy

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Science Technical

n. the time it takes for any planet to go around its sun.

n. the orbital period of any celestial body around its primary star.

“A year on Mars is much longer than a year on Earth.”

“Astronomers calculated that the distant exoplanet has a year lasting only three Earth days due to its proximity to its host star.”

Usage

Often specified by the name of the planet, such as a 'Martian year'.

Synonyms

orbital period

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “year” in context.

01. years ago 02. years later 03. following year 04. nsuing year 05. preceding year 06. previous year 07. years old 08. years since 09. years earlier 10. years in prison 11. year following 12. years to come

From Middle English yeer, yere, from Old English ġēar (“year”), from Proto-West Germanic jār, from Proto-Germanic jērą (“year”), from Proto-Indo-European *yóh₁r̥ (“year, spring”). Doublet of hora and hour. Cognates Cognate with Scots year (“year”), North Frisian djooar, iir, Jaar, jeer, juar, jäär (“year”), Saterland Frisian Jíer (“year”), West Frisian jier (“year”), Bavarian Joahr, Jåar, Jåhr (“year”), Cimbrian djar, jaar (“year”), Dutch jaar (“year”), German Jahr (“year”), Limburgish jaor, Johr, Joër (“year”), Low German Johr, Jåhr (“year”), Luxembourgish Joer (“year”), Mòcheno jor (“year”), Swabian Johr (“year”), Vilamovian jür (“year”), West Flemish joar (“year”), Yiddish יאָר (yor), יאָהר (yohr, “year”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish år (“year”), Faroese, Icelandic ár (“year”), Gothic 𐌾𐌴𐍂 (jēr, “year”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

year(A1)

ADJECTIVE