year-round

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Lasting or available through the whole year, in every season.

   Grammar: Hyphenated before a noun: a year-round pool, not a pool that is year-round.

   Patterns

   • a year-round something

   The town has a year-round farmers' market, even in January.

   Many schools now offer year-round classes with short breaks.

   The mild climate allows year-round gardening.

2. 2adverbnot comparable

   During all months of the year without a break.

   Grammar: After a verb; often written as two words, year round, in this use.

   Patterns

   • open year-round
   • live somewhere year-round

   The lodge stays open year-round.

   They live on the island year-round.

   Tomatoes grow year-round in the greenhouse.

Common combinations

year-round school

The district is considering a year-round school calendar.

year-round residents

Year-round residents often enjoy the beach in peace.

open year-round

The park is open year-round.

year-round employment

Tourism provides year-round employment in the valley.

year-round climate

A warm year-round climate attracts retirees.

Synonyms and how they differ

all-year

All-year is much less common and sounds slightly unnatural, so year-round is usually preferred.

perennial

Perennial describes something that returns every year or lasts for a long time, especially plants, which is not the same as being constant within a year.

permanent

Permanent means lasting indefinitely and says nothing about the seasons.

Opposites

Word family

year noun

a period of twelve months

yearly adjective

happening once a year

round adverb

during the whole of a period, as in all year round

seasonal adjective

depending on or limited to certain times of year

Commonly confused: year-round or yearly?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “year-round”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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