year

Universal Words noun (abbreviation yr) 1 (also calendar year) [C] the period from 1 January to 31 December, 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 (the) year round (= during the whole year). seealsoLEAPYEAR, NEWYEAR 2 [C] 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 pre-war / war / post-war years (= the period before / during / after the war) * I have happy memories of my years in Poland (= the time I spent there). seealsoLIGHTYEAR 3 [C] a period of 12 months connected with a particular activity: the academic / school year * the tax year seealsoFINANCIALYEAR 4 [C] (especially BrE) (at a school, etc.) a level that you stay in for one year; a student at a particular level: We started German in year seven. * a year-seven pupil * The first years do French. * She was in my year at school. 5 [C,usually pl.] 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). 6 (years) [pl.] (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. IDIOMS man, woman, car, etc. of the year a person or thing that people decide is the best in a particular field in a particular year: He was chosen as TV personality of the year. not / never in a hundred, etc. years (spoken) used to emphasize that you will/would never do sth: I'd never have thought of that in a million years. put years on sb to make sb feel or look older: The illness put years on him. take years off sb to make sb feel or look younger: That haircut takes years off her. year after year every year for many years: People return year after year. year by year as the years pass; each year: Year by year their affection for each other grew stronger. the year dot (BrE) (AmE the year one) (informal) a very long time ago: I've been going there every summer since the year dot. year in, year out every year year of grace