yearbook

American  

[yeer-book] / ˈjɪərˌbʊk /

noun

• yearbooks
  plural

1. a book published annually, containing information, statistics, etc., about the past year.

   an encyclopedia yearbook.

2. a book published by the graduating class of a high school or college, containing photographs of class members and commemorating school activities.

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yearbook British  

/ ˈjɪəˌbʊk /

noun

1. an almanac or reference book published annually and containing details of events of the previous year

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• yearbooks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of yearbook

First recorded in 1580–90; year + book

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Explanation

The album of photos that many high schools and colleges offer students at the end of each school year is a yearbook. If you want to be sure to get your picture in the yearbook, join a lot of clubs and teams. A traditional yearbook is a large, bound book organized by class, which includes a photograph of every student. Most yearbooks also feature pictures of teams, school groups and clubs, faculty members, staff, and candid photos taken throughout the school year. In many schools, it's traditional to get your yearbook signed by friends and even teachers. Yearbooks have become less common over the years, as digital equivalents have increased in popularity. Online yearbooks may eventually replace the printed version.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

yearbook yearbooks

Not even in a photo album or yearbook.

From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026

So, in my high school yearbook, under my picture, it says, “Plans to be a chef.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

He was shooting photos for the school yearbook at Crespi’s Southern Section Division 1 baseball playoff game.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2025

"And his parents were totally unaware of that until they received the child's yearbook and there were photographs."

From BBC ● May 22, 2025

I stuff the card between the pages of my yearbook and replace it with my sketchbook.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

At first, she juggled classes with Fusion Books, an online platform she’d started to help students to create and design yearbooks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Private credit players may no longer rate as Most Popular in investors’ yearbooks, but they’ll still be there next year.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Comments from Facebook school group chats described memories that included signing shoes, hoodies and yearbooks at the end of term, with some students having kept their shirts after leaving school.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

The walls are almost entirely covered in Dodgers memorabilia: yearbooks, programs, newspapers, magazine covers, advertisements, record albums, even a thermometer reading “1988 World Champions,” with portraits of Vin Scully, Don Drysdale and Ross Porter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2025

After leaving the high school, Candice spent the next few hours in her room looking through the Wallace yearbooks again, hoping to find anyone who could have been James Parker.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

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Related Words

• calendar
• journal

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