years

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   More than one period of twelve months; a length of time measured in twelve-month units.

   Grammar: Plural form of 'year'; use it after numbers greater than one and with plural verbs: 'Ten years have passed.'

   Patterns

   • three years
   • for years
   • in recent years
   • years of something

   She lived in Tokyo for three years.

   It has been five years since we last met.

   The project took two years to finish.

2. 2nounpluralinformal

   A very long time, especially when talking about age or a long wait.

   Grammar: Used informally in phrases like 'years ago' or 'in years'; no exact number is meant.

   Patterns

   • in years
   • years ago
   • years and years

   I haven't seen him in years.

   That old house has stood there for years and years.

   It's years since anyone used this path.

Word forms

Common combinations

for years

They have been friends for years.

in recent years

Prices have risen sharply in recent years.

years of experience

The job requires five years of experience.

over the years

Over the years, the town has changed a lot.

years ago

My grandmother moved here thirty years ago.

Synonyms and how they differ

decades

Use this when you mean periods of ten years, so it is more precise than the vague 'years'.

ages

Informal and stronger than 'years' when you mean a very long time: 'I waited ages.'

Word family

yearly adjective

Happening once every year.

yearly adverb

Once a year.

year noun

A single period of twelve months.

Commonly confused: years or year's?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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