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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
The movement indicates the date, day, month and leap years and has an additional 24-hour scale.
—
Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Year to date shows similar growth, but a quirk in the calendar (leap year 2024 means one less full weekend is in the comparable total) make actual improvement smaller.
—
Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2025
The next leap years will be in 2028, 2032 and 2036.
—
Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024
Whenever a leap year comes around, there are always a few errors that pop up around the world.
—
Julian Dossett, Space.com, 29 Feb. 2024
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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 19 Feb. 2025.
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
Nglish: Translation of leap year for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about leap year
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