yearyear /jɪə, jɜː $ jɪr/ ●●● S1 W1 noun [countable] 
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 childbe 12/21 etc years of age (=be 12/21 etc years old) → financial year, fiscal year, light year, tax year2january 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 1785this/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 the last century → leap year, New Year3years 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 agea 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)4all (the) year round during the whole year: It’s warm enough to swim all year round. → year-round5year by year as each year passes: Business has steadily increased year by year.6year after year/year in, year out every year for many years: Many birds return to the same spot year after year.7period 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.8the school/academic year the time within a period of 12 months when students are studying at a school or university9school/university level especially British English a particular level that a student stays at for one year: a group of year seven studentsin a year He was in my year at school.10first/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.11musician/player/car etc of the year the musician etc who was voted the best in a particular yearvote/name something ... of the year The new Renault was voted car of the year.12year on year compared with the previous year: Sales rose by 39 per cent year on year.13never/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.15put 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)GRAMMAR: Patterns with yearlast year/this year etcDon’t use in with these words:• You say last year: · They got married last year. ✗Don’t say: They got married in last year.• You say this year: · I will turn 16 this year. ✗Don’t say: I will turn 16 in this year.• You say next year: · She’s going on a trip to England next year. ✗Don’t say: She’s going on a trip to England in next year.• You say that year: · We had a lot of rain that year. ✗Don’t say: We had a lot of rain in that year.a year• You use a year when saying how many times in a year something happens: · I only see my sister about twice a year.· ✗Don’t say: I only see my sister about twice in a year.in the year ...• You use in the year when saying the year when something happens: · In the year 2050 sea levels could be much higher.· The record was a hit in the year that I was born.all year• You use all year when talking about something that happens during every part of a year: · There is enough snow here to ski all year. ✗Don’t say: There is enough snow here to ski all the year.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 2adjectivesthis 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.phrasesthe 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– Meaning 7ADJECTIVES/NOUN + yearsearly 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 yearsthe 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.phrasesin 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 ► Don’t say ‘in ancient years’ or ‘in the ancient years’. Say in ancient times or long ago.
WORD ORIGINyear
Origin:
Old English gearEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- He works a lot harder than most of the students in his year.
- I hated teaching the fifth year. They were always causing trouble.
- I moved here two years ago.
- Jackie has worked here for several years.
- Jared is 15 years old.
- the year 2002
- The lease expires at the end of the year.
- There are 130 children in the second year.
THESAURUSa long time
a long period of time, especially many months or years: · They’ve been married a long time – nearly 30 years.· The house has been empty for a long time.
continuing for the whole day, night, year etc – used especially to emphasize that it is a long time: · It’s going to take me all night to finish this essay.· He’s in London all week, and only comes home at the weekends.
many hours, weeks, months, or years – used to emphasize that it is a long time, or much longer than it should be: · It’s years since I rode a bike.· My wife had to wait months for a hospital appointment.
especially British English informal a very long time: · I’ve been standing here for ages.· The software takes ages to load.· They’ve lived there for ages.
(also some time) a fairly long time: · I hadn’t seen Paul for a while, and he’d completely changed.· It may be some time before the company starts to make a profit.
American English a very long time: · For the longest time, my daughter wasn’t reading at all.· It took me the longest time to figure out how to work the sunroof in this car.
Longman Language Activatora group of students in a school, college etc a group of students or schoolchildren who are taught together: · There are twenty kids in the class.· She gets along well with the other children in her class.· I'm going out with some friends from my dance class.· I graduated in 1999. What class were you in?
a class or group of classes for children of a particular age in an American school: third/seventh/twelfth etc grade: · She's in the fifth grade.· I really liked my eighth grade math teacher.· The second grade class is doing a play about the Pilgrims.
a class or a group of classes for all the children of the same age in a British school for children between 11 and 18: · She's by far the brightest pupil in the form.third/fourth/fifth etc form: · I'm in the third form.· Mrs Davies took the fifth form to the science museum.
all the classes for children of a particular age in a British school or for students in a particular year of study at a British university: · He works a lot harder than most of the students in his year.third/fourth/fifth etc year: · There are 130 children in the second year.· I hated teaching the fifth year. They were always causing trouble.
a class for children with a particular level of ability in a British school: · She's in set one for maths and English and set two for history.· I was useless at school -- always in the bottom set in every subject.· We think you've improved sufficiently to go up to a higher set.
American someone who is in the first year at a high school or university: · We were only freshmen, so the older kids liked to pick on us.freshman class/year/course etc: · Chris remembers his freshman year at UCLA as if it were yesterday.
American someone who is in the second year at a high school or university: · This class is mainly for freshmen and sophomores.sophomore class/year etc: · George dropped out of college his sophomore year.
American someone who is in the third year at a high school or university: · a junior at NYUjunior class/year etc: · Donna spent spring semester of her junior year in Paris.
American someone who is in the fourth and final year at a high school or university: · I can't believe that Cari is a high school senior already.senior class/year etc: · The entire senior class took a trip to Disneyworld.
one of the periods into which the year is divided at school, university etc one of the three periods that the year is divided into at British school and most British universities; in the US, a name for any of the main periods into which a school year is divided: · As a graduate student, he spent a term at Wichita State University.· The main exams are at the end of the summer term.
one of the two or three periods that the year is divided into at American schools and most American universities: · He attended Bennington College for three semesters.fall/spring semester: · Fall semester starts the 28th of August.
the period of the year when there are school or university classes: · In Japan the school year starts in April and ends in February or March.· The end of the academic year with its final exams is very stressful for many students.
one of the four main periods that the year is divided into at some American schools and universities: fall/winter/spring/summer quarter: · She was back in Michigan in time to teach spring quarter.
WORD SETSAD, advance, verbafter, prepositionafternoon, nounalarm, nounalarm clock, nouna.m., Anno Domini, annual, adjectiveApril, nounAsh Wednesday, nounAug., August, nounautumn, nounautumnal, adjectivebank holiday, nounBC, BCE, biannual, adjectivebicentenary, nounbicentennial, nounbiennial, adjectivebimonthly, adjectivebirthday, nounbiweekly, adjectivebonfire night, nounBoxing Day, nounBritish Summer Time, nounBST, nouncalendar, nouncalendar month, nouncalendar year, nouncarriage clock, nouncentenary, nouncentury, nounChristmas, nounChristmas Day, nounChristmas Eve, nounChristmastime, nounchronograph, nounchronological, adjectivechronometer, nouncircadian, adjectiveclock, nouncrystal, nouncuckoo clock, nouncycle, nouncyclic, adjectivedaily, adjectivedaily, adverbdate, noundate, verbdawn, nounday, nounDec., decade, nounDecember, noundiamond anniversary, noundiamond jubilee, noundinnertime, noundiurnal, adjectived.o.b., due date, noundusk, nounface, nounFather's Day, nounfeast, nounFebruary, nounfortnightly, adjectiveFourth of July, the, Fri., Friday, nounGood Friday, nounGreenwich Mean Time, nounGregorian calendar, nounguy, nounGuy Fawkes Night, nounhalf-hourly, adjectivehalf-yearly, adjectiveHalloween, nounhand, nounHanukkah, nounharvest festival, nounHogmanay, nounhorn, nounhour, nounhourglass, nounhour hand, nounhr, Independence Day, nounJan., January, nounjubilee, nounJuly, nounJune, nounLabor Day, nounleap year, nounlunar month, nounmainspring, nounman-hour, nounMar., March, nounMardi Gras, nounmarket day, nounMaundy Thursday, nounMay, nounMay Day, nounMichaelmas, nounmidday, nounmiddle age, nounmiddle-aged, adjectivemidnight, nounMidsummer Day, nounmidweek, adjectivemillennium, nounmin., minute hand, nounMon., Monday, nounmonth, nounmorn, nounmorning, nounMothering Sunday, nounMother's Day, nounmovable feast, nounnew moon, nounNew Year, nounNew Year's Day, nounNew Year's Eve, nounnight, nounnightfall, nounnighttime, nounnocturnal, adjectiveNoel, nounnoon, nounnoonday, adjectiveNov., November, nounOct., October, nounp.a., Pancake Day, nounPDT, penultimate, adjectiveper annum, adverbper diem, adverbperiodic, adjectivep.m., PST, public holiday, nounquarter, nounquotidian, adjectiveRemembrance Day, nounSat., Saturday, nounschoolday, nounseason, nounsecond, nounsecond hand, nounself-winding, adjectiveSeptember, nounshockproof, adjectivesilver anniversary, nounsilver jubilee, nounsilver wedding anniversary, nounsolar year, nounsolstice, nounspring, nounspringtime, nounstandard time, nounstopwatch, nounsummer, nounsummer solstice, nounsummertime, nounsummery, adjectiveSun., Sunday, nounsundown, nounsunrise, nounsunset, nounsun-up, nountercentenary, nounThanksgiving, nounthirty, numberThursday, nountime, nountime, verbtimepiece, nountimer, nountime signal, nountime warp, nountime zone, nountoday, adverbtoday, nountomorrow, adverbtomorrow, nountonight, adverbtonight, nountriennial, adjectiveTuesday, nountwilight, nounWed., Wednesday, nounweek, nounweekday, nounweekend, nounweekly, adjectiveweeknight, nounWhit, nounWhitsun, nounwinter, nounwintertime, nounwk., wristwatch, nounyear, nounyesterday, adverbyr., Yule, nounYuletide, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 2adjectives Book tickets 21 days in advance. Her husband died 14 years ago. We do not foresee any major changes in the years ahead. This design is light years ahead (=much more advanced) in performance and comfort. Our birthdays are exactly a month apart. Janet’s sister was eight years her elder. The talks have now entered their third week. The goalkeeper on that fateful day in 1954 was Fred Martin. We devote five full days a month to training. His pants rose a full three inches off his shoes. The patient was a girl of 12. As the weeks went by, I became more and more worried. the golden years of childhood Your passport is good for another three years. The price of oil reached a new high this week. Hundreds of people were reported killed or wounded. They ought to jail her killer for life. the second semester of my junior year Did you see the game on TV last night? The law was passed last August. He became Senator two years later. The dentist could fit you in later in the week. His wife was a source of constant support during the lean years. a respectable gentleman of mature years Everything should be sorted out by the middle of next year. After years of neglect, the roads were full of potholes. Our neighbours invited us round to see in the new year (=celebrate the beginning of the year). We’re hoping to open the factory sometime next year. food rationing in the immediate post-war years income tax paid in preceding years The situation has improved in recent years. Scarcely a day goes by when I don’t think of him. Brian retired after 25 years of service to the company. Isabel stayed for a year in Paris to study. Depression in the twilight years (=the last years of your life) is usually related to illness. ‘It wasn’t very easy to find the house.’ ‘That’s got to be the understatement of the year!’
· She will be eight this year.
· I might go to law school next year.
· Last year we spent a lot on the house.
· They go back to the same resort every year.
· The budget for the current year was £13 million.
(=the year that is about to start)· Here are some events to look out for in the coming year.
· Over the past year everyone has worked extremely hard.
· They had married the previous year.
· The following year he was made captain of the team.
(=used to talk about the beginning of the next year)· The report is due at the beginning of the new year.
phrases· They moved here at the beginning of last year.
· Work should finish around the end of the year.
Meaning 7ADJECTIVES/NOUN + years· Little is known about his early years.· He remembers the early years of television.
· He changed his opinion during the last years of his life.
· the home in which she spent her childhood years
· She worked for the BBC during the war years.
(=when an economy or industry is very successful)· In the boom years, things weren’t too bad.
· He enjoyed his retirement years in Wales.
(=when Bush, Blair etc was leader)· The rich did very nicely during the Thatcher years.
phrases· The number of cases has risen dramatically in recent years.
· In later years he regretted their argument.
(=in the past)· The old fort defended the island in years gone by.
COMMON ERRORS ► Don’t say ‘in ancient years’ or ‘in the ancient years’. Say in ancient times or long ago.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=the time within a period of 12 months when students are studying at a school or university)· Language students spend the third academic year abroad.
Book tickets 21 days in advance. (=the next day, week etc) His car was outside your house the morning after Bob’s engagement party. I’ll see you again tomorrow or the day after. She retired from politics the year after she received the Nobel Prize.
His car was outside your house the morning after Bob’s engagement party. I’ll see you again tomorrow or the day after. She retired from politics the year after she received the Nobel Prize. Her husband died 14 years ago. We do not foresee any major changes in the years ahead. This design is light years ahead (=much more advanced) in performance and comfort. (=during the whole of your life, a day, a year etc) He had worked all his life in the mine. The boys played video games all day.
He had worked all his life in the mine. The boys played video games all day. Our birthdays are exactly a month apart. (=three years etc ago) His wife died a couple of years back. He called me a while back.
His wife died a couple of years back. He called me a while back.· the boom years of the late 1980s
· A four-year-old child should not be left on their own.
· He signed a five-year contract worth $2 million.
· Calls cost only 2p per minute.
· She did a one-year teacher training course.
(=one that will be fixed for one year, two years etc)· The five-year deal is estimated to be worth $17.2 million.
(=the period of time near the beginning of something)· In the early years of our marriage, we lived with my wife’s parents.
(=in the first part of the year or century)· It was too early in the year for a lot of flowers.
· Newly qualified teachers earn a minimum of £24,000 a year.
Janet’s sister was eight years her elder. (=a year in which there is an election)· The Chancellor won’t raise taxes in an election year.
(=the days, months etc after an event) The situation deteriorated over the ensuing weeks.
The situation deteriorated over the ensuing weeks. The talks have now entered their third week. British English:· I knew I had to do well in the end of year exams.
The goalkeeper on that fateful day in 1954 was Fred Martin. (=the period when someone’s character develops) He exposed his children to music throughout their formative years.
He exposed his children to music throughout their formative years. We devote five full days a month to training. His pants rose a full three inches off his shoes. The patient was a girl of 12. (=in prison) The judge gave her two years in prison.
The judge gave her two years in prison. As the weeks went by, I became more and more worried. (=in the past) These herbs would have been grown for medicinal purposes in days gone by.
These herbs would have been grown for medicinal purposes in days gone by. the golden years of childhood Your passport is good for another three years.· Our clocks carry a five-year guarantee.
The price of oil reached a new high this week. Hundreds of people were reported killed or wounded.· Griffiths spent three days in jail after pushing a policeman.
(=spend time in jail)· He was finally released after serving 27 years in jail.
They ought to jail her killer for life. the second semester of my junior year Did you see the game on TV last night? The law was passed last August. He became Senator two years later. The dentist could fit you in later in the week. His wife was a source of constant support during the lean years.· The company has acquired the building on a 30-year lease.
a respectable gentleman of mature years Everything should be sorted out by the middle of next year.· We’re learning the months of the year in German.
After years of neglect, the roads were full of potholes. Our neighbours invited us round to see in the new year (=celebrate the beginning of the year). We’re hoping to open the factory sometime next year.· My dad is 45 years old.
· a three-year-old boy
· They studied the behaviour of the ocean during a five year period.
· Unesco has a 25-year plan to provide basic education to all.
food rationing in the immediate post-war years income tax paid in preceding years (=two days, three years etc before) Six months previously he had smashed up his car.
Six months previously he had smashed up his car. The situation has improved in recent years. (=do the same class at school again the following year)
Scarcely a day goes by when I don’t think of him. old use (=70 years, a person’s expected length of life)
(=five/eight etc years in prison)· He was serving an eight-year sentence for burglary.
Brian retired after 25 years of service to the company.· I’ve known him for ten years.
Isabel stayed for a year in Paris to study. (=in their first year, second year etc at college or university)· First-year students have an exam at the end of term.
· They are engaged in a five-year study into the effects of calcium on bone health.
· The president is elected for a five-year term.
(=two times in the same day, week etc) Letters were delivered twice a week only.
Letters were delivered twice a week only. Depression in the twilight years (=the last years of your life) is usually related to illness. ‘It wasn’t very easy to find the house.’ ‘That’s got to be the understatement of the year!’· The couple spent most of the war years apart.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· Having reliable data for the current year is, of course, a prerequisite of good budgets.· Earnings in the second half of the current financial year were expected to increase.· Non-manufacturing costs have also been analysed to identify further savings for the current year.· Further, she predicted that the division will have another banner year and set a new record in the current fiscal year.· Oil revenue estimates for the current year were US$11,400 million as compared with US$13,000 million in 1991.· The increase for the current year has been 6 percent.
· This measure provided in part the financial discipline which was lacking in the budgets of earlier years.· Despite the primacy of its influence, socialisation in the early years of life is not confined to the family, however.· Graeme Scott had sorted out all the jigs much earlier in the year.· This process of learning takes place more rapidly and intensely during the early years of childhood than in later life.· The insecurities created by separation in the early and formative years take their toll in adult life.· Most exams follow the pattern of earlier years.· In the Soviet Union the early post-revolutionary years saw a flowering of creativity.· The tomb was added to the collection in the early years of the century.
· Last financial year, some 740,000 people entered Government training programmes, compared with 110,000 in 1978-79 - a sevenfold increase.· This latter provision effectively requires rate precepts to be made or issued for complete financial years.· Accounting policies must be applied consistently from one financial year to the next.· If adopted, the standard would apply to financial years beginning on or after 16 December 1993.· In late June 1991 the legislature passed the 1991-92 budget for the financial year beginning on July 1.· As a beneficiary of this body it received £140,000 this financial year.· Gone are the days of spending frantically because the end of the financial year was nigh.· Spending in the district will be £5.5m over the next financial year.
· Their January payment, whatever accounting year it was based on, met their full tax liability for the ongoing fiscal year.· Clinton has already tempered his request for the 1997 fiscal year, seeking $ 491 million.· By the next fiscal year, the goal is to spend $ 60 billion a year on new weapons.· As the fiscal year ended, the company was just breaking even.· Merrill Lynch traditionally cuts jobs in January following the end of its fiscal year.· For instance, Work Recovery has yet to file its audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1995.· Their contributions during the past fiscal year had been something less than one million pesos.· Amgen Inc. reported a 23 percent increase in comparable earnings and an 18 percent gain in revenues for fiscal year 1995.
· The following year there was even greater alarm in Britain.· Private William Gentles died that following year of asthma.· The following year he was also made president.· The following year 1185, Gilbert de Glanville, became Bishop of Rochester.· In the following year, the employer built a new factory principally to make equipment to meet the latest contract.· The opposition to Raybestos then appeared to die down for the following year, only to return with a vengeance in 1980.
· Now they find themselves alone in later years and often have to rebuild their lives right from scratch.· As a result, the performance in later years could very easily be enhanced.· However, the variations in mortality between the developed and Third World in the later years of life are much less extreme.· Even his close confidant Manning described him in later years as imprudent.· In later years Bate also rented a house in Hampstead where he died 27 December 1847.· It was too late in the year for the almond blossom but the valley was beautiful none the less.· There were three chauffeurs on the staff and quite a few vehicles, including some Mercedes in later years.· The highlight of Gibson's later years was the Polyethylenes 1933-83 golden jubilee conference in London in June 1983.
· In the past year there have been at least eight deaths in custody which are believed to have resulted from torture.· This was the obvious sequel to its policy for the past four years.· In the past year the first phase of the analysis of bus passenger casualties highlighted in the 1991 Plan has been undertaken.· An Ecumenical Jury has been part of the Festival for the past 19 years.· Income has dropped by £80million in the past 2 years and travellers will have to help bail them out.· For the past 10 years, my constituency has been promised a hospital, but no progress has been made.· I have seen this problem many times in the past couple of years when the summers have been very hot.· The past year has been a rollercoaster one for the royals with a few highs followed by lots of depressing lows.
· The proposed merger called into question Britain's civil aviation policy of the previous twenty years.· CareFirst reported that its total membership in 2000 grew by 8.1 percent -- to 2.8 million -- over the previous year.· The encouraging rapprochement between Tehran and London that we'd heard so much about the previous year was at an end.· The conversation turned to the Wisconsin primary of the previous year.· Ministers issued 8,967 standard export licences, down from 9,689 licences in the previous year.· In 1994, New York City got $ 100 million through the program, compared with $ 44 million the previous year.· During 1985 there were 50 attacks on shipping as against 62 the previous year.· The previous year it had finished construction of a $ 1 billion wafer-fabrication plant.
· The recession of more recent years does not appear to have induced a reversion back towards multi-employer bargaining.· Other fragmentary legislation is to be found in recent years, e.g. the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975.· In recent years, the growth of National Certificate uptake has been especially strong in secondary schools.· In recent years, the Inspectorate has been seen as understaffed and underfunded and has allegedly suffered from low morale.· Anger at the fingerprinting this entails has become increasingly rampant in recent years.· Consequently banks have sought to reduce their overseas lending exposure in recent years.· This has become more difficult in recent years.· In recent years mystery with history has become a fairly popular sub-genre of crime fiction.
VERB· Phase 1 started in July 1980 and lasted 3 years, during which 2.5 million households were visited.· Dame, who last year booked her into $ 2 million worth of speeches, at $ 30, 000 each.· My involvement with separatism lasted five years, but in a very real sense it will never leave me.· He settled with five states last year.· I introduced it to my classes in May last year and have developed and modified it as the weeks have passed.· So, if a person's paid employment lasts for forty years, she will need to have thirty-six qualifying years.· Coal reserves have also expanded worldwide, with Britain's contribution expected to last several hundred years.· Harry Mulholland also believes that a good wool carpet can be cleaned professionally to last for years and years.
· I spent a year working in a hospital as an auxiliary nurse between college and university.· He spent a whole year bumming from friends, crashing in strange places, selling weed with pals to make his bread.· Defence spending for the same years was 12.7 percent, 24.2 percent and 28.2 percent respectively.· Jane Dee Hull promised in her state-of-the-state address to boost spending even higher this year.· After his ordination in 1953, he spent three years as assistant priest at the Immaculate Conception Church, Glasgow.· Albert Einstein spent the last 50 years of his life unsuccessfully trying to unify the theories of electromagnetism and gravity.· He spent seven happy years at Rawlinsons after the war.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► year after year/year in, year out► years► year on year► put years on somebody/take years off somebody► yearsPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► day after day/year after year etc► in after years► come July/next year/the next day etc► somebody’s declining years► a good three miles/ten years etc► never let a day/week/year etc go by without doing something► light years ahead/better etc than something► light years ago► be a long time/ten years etc in the making► three weeks/two years etc now► three years/five times etc running► be two/five/ten etc years somebody’s senior► in 10 days’/five years’/a few minutes’ etc time► days turned into weeks/months turned into years etc► a year/a week/a moment/an hour etc or two► in the vicinity of £3 million/$1,500/2 billion years etc► within two feet/ten years etc either way► 65/82/97 etc years young
- A dud for most of the year, with peaks at the start of the school year and at Christmas.
- Alvin was to stay behind to finish the school year.
- In the academic year 1990/91, work by the staff of the Department led to two national awards.
- That uncertainty arose after a $ 10 million budget shortfall surfaced in July, days before the start of the school year.
- The Counselling Service offers a number of group workshops and skills acquisition classes during the academic year.
- The paper was discussed by branches and Federations during the academic year 1956-57 and at the District Council of July 1957.
- The Transit minibus will be used for outings and visits throughout the school year.
- To bring together these keys to the curriculum, the school year is organized around themes.
- By his second year, he said, nearly 30 schools were sending him letters.
- Early in the first year his behaviour pattern was showing dips and troughs.
- Everything about it has helped me to grapple with the intricacies of machine knitting in this, my second year.
- He had discussed this throughout his first year but had found no solution.
- In her second year, she met Edgar Lintot.
- Oryx Energy, like Melville, made the list for a second year in a row.
- That first year, by happy accident, the itinerary was set for every ride that has followed.
- A former Car of the Year winner, it has done well on the Continent but has been under-rated here.
- All won national Player of the Year honors during their Bruins careers.
- Going up against league player of the year Mary Raskauskas, Thompson tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds.
- Jeff was voted their Player of the Year last season, but they've let me have him for six months.
- On defense, Mutombo, the three-time defensive player of the year, hung around the lane to block and alter shots.
- Then came the news of Price, the two-time City 4-A Player of the Year.
- You won't get Kieran to agree - not in a million years!
- He was rich as Croesus, something he had never expected to be, not in a million years.
- I still had to find Wally and attempt to explain what I would never in a million years be able to explain.
- It is based on a true story so outrageous that it would never in a million years have passed muster as fiction.
- Never. Not in a million years.
- No parent is going to believe this pigtail story, not in a million years.
- The real reason for her lack of promotion, she knew, would never in a million years occur to him.
- There was no point in all of this: she would never believe him. Not in a million years.
- You'd never in a million years see a dancing man in a field in the country.
- The two bungalows in question, though, had been standing from the year dot.
- Traditionally, scientists have been involved in war since the year dot.
- Centrally heated and open all year round.
- Hours 4 1/2 hours a week, 45 hours total. * Intensive courses: Duration 2-4 weeks, all year round.
- It is warm all year round, with warm summers, mild winters and moderate rainfall.
- Most importantly, the Conquistadores use the proceeds from the tournament to help fund local youth sports all year round.
- Seasons: The crag faces west, is sited just above the sea and climbing is generally possible all year round.
- Soon, the pests were everywhere, all year round.
- We have witches all year round.
- Year by year, things are getting worse.
- Because so much has been put into making such fine volumes, they have tended to increase in value year by year.
- But though I refused to age, the students and the other teachers grew younger year by year.
- Instead of claiming it year by year, you just fill in a form when you apply for your mortgage.
- The car-less core has been expanded year by year, as more neighborhoods have wanted it.
- The issues involved in a healthy environment grow year by year.
- The pay-back is more evident year by year, as increasingly the focus is on speciality films.
- Their living conditions are getting worse year by year, politicians are corrupt, often are not held accountable.
- Yet year by year, the day of reckoning grows closer, and nothing is being done.
- As you probably know, Herr Sanders is a gentleman of advanced years, inclined to be a little vague.
- At the advanced age of 71, Charles Bronson's wizened features are returning to the big screen.
- Male speaker Inevitably at her advanced years, it's difficult for her to overcome.
- On my advanced age, I dote.
- She addressed her young guest with civilities suitable for a personage of advanced years and uncertain appetite.
- Towards the rector he was a polite listener, a concession to the man's advanced years and his calling.
- When talking about the elderly in this sense we are referring to people in an advanced age group of well over eighty.
- Chances of developing cancer increase with advancing age.
- At your age, advancing years and all that.
- Joshua hoped that Malone had learnt wisdom with his advancing years.
- Of course, I was only displaying the ultimately cliched boomer trait, a tortured denial of my own advancing years.
- On her deathbed Mary Leapor reportedly expressed concern for her father's advancing age.
- Reasons put forth include his advancing age, the cumulative effect of thousands of hits and the decline of his offensive line.
- The association between advancing years and increasing rates of disability is illustrated in Figure 7.
- The risk of incapacitation increases with advancing years, and increases more rapidly after the age of 55.
- There are clear associations between advancing years and increasing disability, and this is particularly steep among the most elderly.
- Four hundred million women of childbearing age weigh less than 45 kilograms-their malnutrition is passed on to their infants.
- Alice knew then that my father would haunt her for years to come.
- Even a couple of weeks down under will have you waltzing with Matilda for years to come.
- He spoke about that afternoon for days to come.
- It's the players who will suffer because of this, not just this week but for years to come.
- Mr Clark says his department will be collecting poll tax arrears for years to come.
- Prices then gave way to concern driving activity will be reduced for days to come.
- The responsibility was going to haunt him for years to come.
- We will be struggling with these issues for years to come.
- Be in no doubt that in years to come, this will become the greatest budget driver's car of them all.
- He is promised a great name in days to come.
- I think that in years to come they are bound to be looked back on as an aberration.
- Just think in years to come lots of people could be hunting.
- The combination could make him an even more formidable figure in years to come.
- The housing needs of the elderly, in particular, must be a prominent policy issue in years to come.
- There would be plenty of time for them in years to come, she thought wearily.
- To taxonomy, though, their essence lies in years to come.
- It's three years to the day since Tony Alliss died from gunshot wounds.
- It's donkey's years since I went to the movies.
- She worked in the shop for donkey's years, although the pay was awful.
- We used to play golf together, but that was donkey's years ago.
- An interim dividend of 6p per ordinary share was paid on 1 April 1993 in respect of the year ending 31 December 1993.
- Copies of the most recent report for the year ending 31 March are in the Library.
- During the week ending last Tuesday 109 people in every 100,000 of the population had flu, and 154 had flu-like illnesses.
- Figures released today reported that in the year ending March 31 profits before tax were £10.3m compared with £7.7m in 1992.
- Group pre-tax profits for the year ending February 28 fell 12.5% to £1.2m.
- The bad-debt provisions are expected to knock £25m off profits for the year ending February.
- The company is aiming to break even at the pretax level in the year ending March 31.
- The company said it expects revenue of about $ 34. 5 million for the year ending June 30, 1996.
- No rocks, to our knowledge, are untouched by life in former times.
- But some underlying patterning remains, despite the intervening years and the subtle shifts in values and beliefs.
- I wanted to look young when I met my brother, perhaps because I had accomplished nothing in the intervening years.
- In the intervening years, as property taxes ate away at their nest egg, their proposals for other developments fell flat.
- Over the intervening years the inter-action and travelling of these eight aircraft is intricate.
- Recounting the matter in present time-without being returned-the patient is using all the intervening years as buffers against the painful emotion.
- Some time, then, during the intervening years, he had been granted a barony.
- The answer depends, to some degree, on the effectiveness of those who have been active in the intervening years.
- To occupy the intervening months she took a job in a hospital.
- His wife's name was Sarah; she was five years his junior, and she predeceased him by ten months.
- The 42-year-old princess married Commander Tim Laurence, who is five years her junior, just before Christmas.
- I didn't know myself where the house was until the week before last.
- In the week before last, claims rose by 22, 000.
- The Sunday newspaper articles had come out the week before last, and were still bringing in letters.
- As a result, the performance in later years could very easily be enhanced.
- But, though large, the book is not, like Welles in later life, overweight.
- Buying two wooden spoons can be more fun at this time than purchasing an expensive set of china in later years.
- For these serious psychiatric conditions the onset of new cases in later life appears to be very rare.
- Nor is there any relief from this pattern of underrepresentation in the statistics for the regular admissions program in later years.
- Secure attachments early on in life provide inner resources to manage stressful and threatening situations in later years.
- The direct impact of improving health in later life has been relatively recent.
- Your young daughter's bossy attitude in later life may be channelled into quite acceptable leadership qualities.
- He just sat at a table ticking off numbers all day long.
- He loved growing things, and in Florida he could work his garden all year long.
- I suppose that if we include New Zealand, we can claim to have new season lamb practically all year long.
- She'd sail the lake all day long if I let her.
- Smashing down mogul fields all day long, day after day, sounds great to skiers in their 20s.
- So all day long her thoughts fought with each other.
- The docks were experiencing a boom in trade and all day long a steady stream of customers came and went.
- There is just so little meaning in what I do almost all day long!
- Back in 1831 the man of the moment was one Squire George Osbaldeston.
- Except for one player, the man of the moment in the Kingdome.
- Miltiades was the man of the hour, and his advice was to strike at once and win back the Cyclades.
- Sean Bean's the man of the moment.
- That's what makes Bush the man of the hour, for these are indisputably good times.
- You ought to be the man of the hour.
- I never would have guessed in a million years!
- Never in a million years did I think we'd lose.
- He was rich as Croesus, something he had never expected to be, not in a million years.
- I still had to find Wally and attempt to explain what I would never in a million years be able to explain.
- It is based on a true story so outrageous that it would never in a million years have passed muster as fiction.
- No parent is going to believe this pigtail story, not in a million years.
- The real reason for her lack of promotion, she knew, would never in a million years occur to him.
- You'd never in a million years see a dancing man in a field in the country.
- A few weeks ago, many stock market analysts cautioned investors against extravagant expectations for the new year.
- And first thing in the New Year he will be going.
- As the wrangling has stretched into the new year, Clinton has moved up some in public esteem.
- For the new year, job growth is likely to remain sluggish.
- He is currently preparing a plan to unlock more working capital by the New Year.
- Indeed, there might be little to prevent some of the orders being cancelled when the new year commences.
- Municipalbond investors are bracing for trouble in the New Year.
- She was relieved when the New Year arrived and things returned to normal.
- Everything, all in one year.
- I've always said you'd hurt yourself one day.
- In the tiny northern town of Sugar Hill, the police chief picks one day a month and issues tickets.
- Mr Emery reopened his store one day after his arrest, and said he will sell marijuana seeds by mail order.
- She remembered going with her father one day, and being dreadfully bored.
- That includes one day, May 26, when the collar was invoked twice -- both on declines.
- They may be more concerned about pain, or being sent home from the hospital after one day.
- We prospectively followed up 50 patients with healed ulcers for one year.
- He might supplant Jones before the year is out.
- There will be many more surprises before the year is out.
- Voice over Meanwhile up to 1,000 more break-ins are expected in Gloucestershire before the year is out.
- The passing of the years has not weakened his artistic ability.
- As a young woman, she was pretty, slender, and graceful and she remained so with the passing years.
- Dent is a throwback to medieval times bypassed by modern progress, an anachronism that has survived the passing years.
- Over the passing years, time had been cruel to nearly everybody else.
- Over the passing years, time had been kind to Caduta Massi.
- The passing years took their toll, of course, and he did go into a decline when Grandmother died.
- Through the passing days, the biting cruelty of it all slowly healed, leaving only the scar tissue.
- But he rolled back the years wearing his old jockeys' uniform in the Radcliffe Selling Stakes at Nottingham.
- Dalziel was well known, hailing and being hailed by nearly every second person they passed, it seemed to Pascoe.
- We've been together eight years now - so we're over the seven year itch, not that I had one.
- He was a good enough student to skip a grade in elementary school and later scored 1280 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.
- The medical superintendent of a hospital had to be a duly qualified medical practitioner of five years' standing.
- By the turn of the century, a unique international generation of women had arrived at senior status.
- For many of us the turn of the century was only a few months ago.
- From 1859 until the turn of the century the system worked wonderfully.
- Nevertheless they were considerably more evangelical at the turn of the century than they are now.
- People have been peddling phony weight-loss elixirs since before the turn of the century.
- She was born before the turn of the century, so it is likely that her parents had been born into slavery.
- Their catalogues contain fewer items, but the range of publications is wider than at the turn of the century.
- This 1935 measure derived from the widows' pensions, which states had enacted at the turn of the century.
- And Maxwell's vintage years ... the tycoon's wine collection to be auctioned.
- For devotees of downsizing, the signs are that this could be a vintage year.
- He said he had only repeated to the salesmen what Mr Runciman had said, that it was not a vintage year.
- It has already been a vintage year for hacking.
- The experts claim it's not a vintage year, so the spotlight has shone firmly on the models.
WORD FAMILYnounyearadjectiveyearlyadverbyearly
112 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 childbe 12/21 etc years of age (=be 12/21 etc years old) → financial year, fiscal year, light year, tax year2january 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 1785this/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 the last century → leap year, New Year3years 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 agea 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)4all (the) year round during the whole year: It’s warm enough to swim all year round. → year-round5year by year as each year passes: Business has steadily increased year by year.6year after year/year in, year out every year for many years: Many birds return to the same spot year after year.7period 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.8the school/academic year the time within a period of 12 months when students are studying at a school or university9school/university level especially British English a particular level that a student stays at for one year: a group of year seven studentsin a year He was in my year at school.10first/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.11musician/player/car etc of the year the musician etc who was voted the best in a particular yearvote/name something ... of the year The new Renault was voted car of the year.12year on year compared with the previous year: Sales rose by 39 per cent year on year.13never/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.15put 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)GRAMMAR: Patterns with yearlast year/this year etcDon’t use in with these words:• You say last year: · They got married last year. ✗Don’t say: They got married in last year.• You say this year: · I will turn 16 this year. ✗Don’t say: I will turn 16 in this year.• You say next year: · She’s going on a trip to England next year. ✗Don’t say: She’s going on a trip to England in next year.• You say that year: · We had a lot of rain that year. ✗Don’t say: We had a lot of rain in that year.a year• You use a year when saying how many times in a year something happens: · I only see my sister about twice a year.· ✗Don’t say: I only see my sister about twice in a year.in the year ...• You use in the year when saying the year when something happens: · In the year 2050 sea levels could be much higher.· The record was a hit in the year that I was born.all year• You use all year when talking about something that happens during every part of a year: · There is enough snow here to ski all year. ✗Don’t say: There is enough snow here to ski all the year.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 2adjectivesthis 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.phrasesthe 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– Meaning 7ADJECTIVES/NOUN + yearsearly 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 yearsthe 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.phrasesin 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 ► Don’t say ‘in ancient years’ or ‘in the ancient years’. Say in ancient times or long ago.