What does "year" mean?
A period of time akin to the time taken for the Earth to undergo a full cycle of seasons.
Year
/jɪə/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A period of time akin to the time taken for the Earth to undergo a full cycle of seasons.
- Grammar: year is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: school year, twelvemonth, abundant year, academic year.
- Useful contrasts: one month, bimester, chait.
- Usage evidence: Your idea cannot be brand new. I heard about it from another source last year.
How to use "year"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "year" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "year" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "year" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "year" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "year" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "school year" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "year", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A period of time akin to the time taken for the Earth to undergo a full cycle of seasons.
"we moved to this town a year ago; I quit smoking exactly one year ago"
- 2 Pronunciation spelling of here. alt-of, pronunciation-spelling
- 3 a body of students who graduate together wordnet
- 4 A period of time akin to the time taken for the Earth to undergo a full cycle of seasons.; The time taken for the Earth to return to the same position along the ecliptic, completing a full cycle of seasons; a tropical year or solar year.
- 5 Pronunciation spelling of hear. alt-of, pronunciation-spelling
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 the period of time that it takes for a planet (as, e.g., Earth or Mars) to make a complete revolution around the sun wordnet
- 7 A period of time akin to the time taken for the Earth to undergo a full cycle of seasons.; The time taken for the Earth to orbit the Sun with respect to the fixed stars; a sidereal year.
- 8 a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days wordnet
- 9 A period of time akin to the time taken for the Earth to undergo a full cycle of seasons.; The length of twelve lunations; the time taken for any moon phase to happen twelve times; a lunar year.
- 10 a period of time occupying a regular part of a calendar year that is used for some particular activity wordnet
- 11 A period of time akin to the time taken for the Earth to undergo a full cycle of seasons.; The length of a year as marked by a calendar, 365 or 366 days in the Gregorian calendar; a calendar year.
- 12 A period of time akin to the time taken for the Earth to undergo a full cycle of seasons.; The mean length of a calendar year in the Julian calendar, that is, 365.25 solar days; a Julian year.
- 13 An orbital period: the period of one revolution in any particular orbit: The time it takes for any astronomical object (such as a planet, dwarf planet, small Solar System body, or comet) in direct orbit around a star (such as the Sun) to make one revolution around the star. broadly
"Mars goes around the sun once in a Martian year, or 1.88 Earth years."
- 14 A period between set dates that mark a year, such as from January 1 to December 31 by the Gregorian calendar, from Tishri 1 to Elul 29 by the Jewish calendar, and from Muharram 1 to Dhu al-Hijjah 29 or 30 by the Islamic calendar.
"A normal year has 365 full days, but there are 366 days in a leap year."
- 15 A scheduled part of a calendar year spent in a specific activity.
"During this school year I have to get up at 6:30 to catch the bus."
- 16 A scheduled part of a calendar year spent in a specific activity.; A level or grade in school or college.
"Every second-year student must select an area of specialization."
- 17 The proportion of a creature's lifespan equivalent to one year of an average human lifespan (see also dog year).
"Geneticists have created baker's yeast that can live to 800 in yeast years."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Your idea cannot be brand new. I heard about it from another source last year."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "year"?
Common synonyms include: school year, twelvemonth, abundant year, academic year, academic year, accounting year.
How do you use "year" in a sentence?
Your idea cannot be brand new. I heard about it from another source last year.
How do you pronounce "year"?
Pronounced /jɪə/.
Etymology
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”).