leap year

American  

noun

1. (in the Gregorian calendar) a year that contains 366 days, with February 29 as an additional day: occurring in years whose last two digits are evenly divisible by four, except for centenary years not divisible by 400.

2. a year containing an extra day or extra month in any calendar.

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leap year British  

noun

1. a calendar year of 366 days, February 29 ( leap day ) being the additional day, that occurs every four years (those whose number is divisible by four) except for century years whose number is not divisible by 400. It offsets the difference between the length of the solar year (365.2422 days) and the calendar year of 365 days

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Etymology

Origin of leap year

1350–1400; Middle English lepe yere

Example Sentences

The extra accrued time results in Feb. 29 appearing on the calendar every fourth year — leap year — to help the seasons line up.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2024

"Stu was born on a leap year and in 2024 he has an actual birthday, so this will be his 12th birthday," said Miss Chetwyn.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2024

That’s why most of the modern world has adopted the Gregorian calendar and its leap year system to allow days and months to stay in step with the seasons.

From National Geographic • Feb. 26, 2024

Being born in a leap year on a leap day certainly is a talking point.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2024

As this method was clumsy, , Euergetes—very possibly at the advice of his new librarian— proposed a simpler four-year cycle with three years consisting of 365 days each, plus a leap year of 366 days.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro