leap year

noun

1
: a year in the Gregorian calendar containing 366 days with February 29 as the extra day
2
: an intercalary year in any calendar

Examples of leap year in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox falls around Sept. 22 which can sometimes fluctuate by a couple of days due to leap years. Ellie Willard, The Arizona Republic, 25 July 2023 For example, 2000 and 2400 are leap years, but 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300 and 2500 are not. Jennifer Sangalang, The Enquirer, 28 Feb. 2023 The luminous, icy sheen on their skin is a nod to winter, which is important for a novel that takes place in February and is infused with hints of leap year magic. Kenrya Rankin, Essence, 7 July 2023 This 2022 Grand Complications manual winding model uses chronograph movement CH 29-535 PS Q and shows day/night, day, month, leap year and moon phases. Louisa Ballhaus, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2023 One of those goals was to acquire 366 pairs of Crocs, one for each day of the year, including leap years. oregonlive, 1 Apr. 2023 Here, the perpetual calendar complication is on display in four complementary purple subdials with the months and leap year at 12 o’clock, date at three o’clock, moonphase indicator at six o’clock and day of the week at nine o’clock. Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 16 Dec. 2022 This also happens to be a Jewish leap year. Zachary Smith, cleveland, 5 Apr. 2022 Here’s a look at leap year. CNN, 15 Feb. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leap year.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of leap year was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near leap year

Cite this Entry

“Leap year.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leap%20year. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

leap year

noun
: a year in the Gregorian calendar containing 366 days with February 29 as the extra day

More from Merriam-Webster on leap year

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