leap day
Americannoun
-
leap days
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of leap day
First recorded in 1590–1600
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.
This discrepancy is why we add a leap day every four years – to keep the calendar aligned with Earth's orbit.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
To sync the natural world to our calendars, we add a leap day every four years, on Feb. 29 — today.
From New York Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
Orange County loves love and wants couples who are looking to take the matrimonial leap to stop by the courthouse Thursday — leap day, that special date that only arrives once every four years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
The current Gregorian calendar system makes the fractional days of the solar year and leap year calendar nearly equal by occasionally skipping a leap day.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 26, 2024
Three hundred and sixty-six, if you count leap day.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions 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.
