year S1 W1 /jɪə, jɜː $ jɪr/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ year ; adverb : ↑ yearly ; adjective : ↑ yearly ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: gear ]
1 . 12 MONTHS a period of about 365 days or 12 months, measured from any particular time:
I arrived here two years ago.
We’ve known each other for over a year.
It’s almost a year since Sue died.
Jodi is 15 years old.
a three-year business plan
a four-year-old child
be 12/21 etc years of age (=be 12/21 etc years old) ⇨ ↑ financial year , ↑ fiscal year , ↑ light year , ↑ tax year
2 . JANUARY TO DECEMBER ( also calendar year ) a period of 365 or 366 days divided into 12 months beginning on January 1st and ending on December 31st:
the year that Kennedy died
in the year 1785
this/last/next year
They moved here at the beginning of this year.
last year’s cup final
She goes there every year.
The museum attracts 100,000 visitors a year.
in the early years of last century
⇨ ↑ leap year , ↑ New Year
3 . years
a) informal a very long period of time SYN ages :
It’s years since I rode a bike.
in/for years
I haven’t been there for years.
It was the first time in years I’d seen her.
b) age, especially old age
a man/woman/person etc of his/her etc years
Gordon is very active for a man of his years.
getting on in years (=no longer young)
4 . all (the) year round during the whole year:
It’s warm enough to swim all year round.
⇨ ↑ year-round
5 . year by year as each year passes:
Business has steadily increased year by year.
6 . year after year/year in, year out every year for many years:
Many birds return to the same spot year after year.
7 . PERIOD OF LIFE/HISTORY years [plural] a particular period of time in someone’s life or in history:
the difficult years following the war
Sheila enjoyed her years as a student in Oxford.
8 . the school/academic year the time within a period of 12 months when students are studying at a school or university
9 . SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY LEVEL especially British English a particular level that a student stays at for one year:
a group of year seven students
in a year
He was in my year at school.
10 . first/second etc year British English someone who is in their first etc year at school or university:
The department offers a study skills programme for all first years.
11 . musician/player/car etc of the year the musician etc who was voted the best in a particular year
vote/name something ... of the year
The new Renault was voted car of the year.
12 . year on year compared with the previous year:
Sales rose by 39 per cent year on year.
13 . never/not in a million years spoken used to say that something is extremely unlikely:
Never in a million years did I think we’d lose.
14 . the year dot British English informal a very long time ago:
Scientists have been involved in war since the year dot.
15 . put years on somebody/take years off somebody to make someone look or feel older or younger:
Tina’s divorce has put years on her.
⇨ donkey’s years at ↑ donkey (2)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ adjectives
▪ this year
She will be eight this year.
▪ next year
I might go to law school next year.
▪ last year
Last year we spent a lot on the house.
▪ every year
They go back to the same resort every year.
▪ the current year
The budget for the current year was £13 million.
▪ the coming year (=the year that is about to start)
Here are some events to look out for in the coming year.
▪ the past year
Over the past year everyone has worked extremely hard.
▪ the previous year
They had married the previous year.
▪ the following year
The following year he was made captain of the team.
▪ the new year (=used to talk about the beginning of the next year)
The report is due at the beginning of the new year.
■ phrases
▪ the beginning/start of the year
They moved here at the beginning of last year.
▪ the end of the year
Work should finish around the end of the year.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 7)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + years
▪ early years
Little is known about his early years.
|
He remembers the early years of television.
▪ the last/latter/closing years of something
He changed his opinion during the last years of his life.
▪ somebody's childhood/teenage years
the home in which she spent her childhood years
▪ the war years
She worked for the BBC during the war years.
▪ the boom years (=when an economy or industry is very successful)
In the boom years, things weren't too bad.
▪ somebody's retirement years
He enjoyed his retirement years in Wales.
▪ the Bush/Blair etc years (=when Bush, Blair etc was leader)
The rich did very nicely during the Thatcher years.
■ phrases
▪ in recent years
The number of cases has risen dramatically in recent years.
▪ in later years
In later years he regretted their argument.
▪ in years gone by (=in the past)
The old fort defended the island in years gone by.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say 'in ancient years' or 'in the ancient years' . Say in ancient times or long ago .