years
[jˈɪrz] /ˈyir How to pronounce year (audio)/ (ame, mw)
years — noun
1. each of the twelve-month stretches starting in January and ending in December th
each of the twelve-month stretches starting in January and ending in December that are used to organize the calendar and track how long things last.
The Olympic Games are held every four years in a different city around the world.
phrase: every [number] years
Madison moved to Canada ten years ago and has lived in Toronto ever since.
phrase: [number] years ago
Over the past five years, the number of visitors to the national park has doubled.
The building contract runs for three years, starting next January.
Chiara kept a diary every day for two years while living in Kyoto.
文法句型
number + years
in/during/over + years
years + ago/later/before
用法筆記
Commonly paired with number words (five years, several years, ten years) and time prepositions (in, during, over, within, for). Often used with 'ago' to refer to the past or 'later' to refer to the future.
常見錯誤
2. the roughly nine-month teaching period during which schools, colleges, and unive
the roughly nine-month teaching period during which schools, colleges, and universities hold classes each calendar year.
In Japan, the school years begin in April and end the following March.
collocation: school year(s)
The university divides its academic years into two semesters, with exams in December and May.
collocation: academic year(s)
Many students look for summer jobs when their school years end in June.
Teachers spend the weeks before each academic year begins, preparing their lesson plans.
Gita's final years of high school were busy with college applications and exams.
文法句型
[possessive] + years [at/at/in]
the + school/academic + years
用法筆記
Distinguish from Sense 3: this sense is specifically about education — the period when teaching happens, not the financial or administrative cycle. Common in phrases like 'school year,' 'academic year,' 'first year of university.'
常見錯誤
3. a twelve-month span counted from a chosen starting point and used for a consiste
a twelve-month span counted from a chosen starting point and used for a consistent purpose, such as running a business, farming, or managing government budgets.
Both companies' financial years end on March 31, making tax filing simpler.
collocation: financial year(s)
Farmers in this region count their growing years from the first spring rain each March.
collocation: growing year(s)
Noa's department is reviewing the budget for the next two fiscal years.
The last two tax years had very different rules for claiming home-office expenses.
Businesses often set their sales targets at the start of new trading years.
文法句型
[modifier] + years
the + [modifier] + year
用法筆記
Typically paired with a modifier that names the context (financial year, tax year, growing year, academic year). The starting month varies by country and purpose — for example, the UK tax year begins April 6, while school years often start in September.
常見錯誤
4. the students that enroll at a school, college, or university in the same intake
the students that enroll at a school, college, or university in the same intake and move through their course of study together.
The 2024 cohort and the 2023 group were the two largest years the college had ever seen.
British usage: the [year] year/cohort
Femi and his cousin belong to different years at the medical school in Lagos.
The older years in the school often help the younger ones with their studies.
Both the 2023 and 2024 years were praised by the head teacher for their hard work.
Selim was voted class president by members of his year during the first week of school.
- class
common in US English for a student cohort ('the class of 2025')
- grade
American term for the level of school, not the cohort itself
- year group
more explicit synonym, common in UK schools
文法句型
the + [year] + of + [graduation year]
[ordinal] + years
the + class/year + of + [year]
用法筆記
Particularly common in British English. In the US, 'class of [year]' or 'grade' is more usual. Example: 'the Class of 2025' vs. 'the 2024 year.' The phrase 'year group' is also common in UK schools.
常見錯誤
5. the number of twelve-month periods that a person has lived, or a particular peri
the number of twelve-month periods that a person has lived, or a particular period in a person's life considered as a whole.
Hao is twenty-two years old and just started his first job in Seoul.
phrase: [number] years old
In her later years, Antonia spent most mornings reading in the garden.
phrase: in [possessive] later years
Reuben spent his early years on a small farm before moving to the city.
Children under five years old can ride the bus for free on weekends.
The doctor said that Joshua's healthy years ahead depend on eating well and exercising regularly.
文法句型
[number] + years old
in [possessive] + [adjective] + years
years of [activity/state]
用法筆記
Frequently passive — this sense nearly always appears with a possessive adjective (my, his, her, their) or a number. 'Years old' is the standard way to state age in English. 'Early years' and 'later years' divide a person's life into broad stages.