biannual
Americanadjective
Usage
What does biannual mean? Biannual can mean two things: occurring once every two years or occurring twice per year. Biannual is a synonym of biyearly, which can also be used to mean every two years or twice per year. (Biyearly can also mean “lasting for two years,” but this meaning is rarely used.)The adverb form of biannual is biannually. Examples:
- The Olympic Games are biannual, meaning they happen every two years.
- This is a biannual meeting—we have it in April and October.
Commonly Confused
See bi- 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of biannual
Compare meaning
How does biannual compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Use biannual to describe something that happens two times a year. Cleaning out the garage may be a biannual project in your household, or your dentist might insist on biannual check-ups. When you break apart the word biannual, it’s easy to remember what it means. The prefix bi-, meaning “two,” tips you off that this is something that happens twice. And you’re probably already familiar with annual, which describes something that happens once a year. Put it together and you have biannual: twice a year. Whether you’re describing formal events or the frequency of your haircuts, you can use biannual anytime you need to say that something happens twice a year.
Vocabulary lists containing biannual
Ides, Eon, Epoch, and Era: Time-related Words
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bi-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Within our nation’s capital, the Adams Morgan PorchFest has grown into one of Washington’s most anticipated biannual events.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
The company has rapidly boosted its valuation through biannual share sales that it has organized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
Other initiatives by ExpressVPN are too numerous to list here, but you can read its biannual transparency report for more information.
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2026
Researchers compared consumers’ year-ahead inflation expectations with those of professional forecasters tracked by the biannual Livingston Survey of economists and the quarterly Survey of Professional Forecasters, both conducted by the Philadelphia Fed.
From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026
The constant scrubbing by the wives who had lived there and the biannual deep-seated scourging had kept the dirt down.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
