1.
~ or the ~ is the time when people celebrate the start of a year.
Happy ~, everyone...
The restaurant was closed over the ~...
He returned home each year to celebrate Christmas and ~ with his family.
N-UNCOUNT: also the N
2.
The ~ is the first few weeks of a year.
Isabel was expecting their baby in the ~...
The oil shortages could lead the government to raise prices before the ~.
N-SING: the N