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

Shirilla argued that the clock should have started later, when juvenile bindover transcripts were filed, and also pointed to the 2024 leap year. — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026

That is, 1600 was a leap year, but 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026

Because 2024 was a leap year, Shirilla's petition was late by one day. — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026

The dial arrangement is also quite unusual, with the moon phase display at 12 o’clock rather than 6 and the indicator for the leap year and the day/night shown in overlapping subdials. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 20 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for leap year

• auctioneer
• bandelier
• belvedere
• bombardier
• brigadier
• buccaneer
• cavalier
• chandelier
• chanticleer
• chevalier
• commandeer
• disappear

Kids Definition

leap year

noun

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