leap year

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.

leap year

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of leap year¹

1350–1400; Middle English lepe yere

Example Sentences

It was also possible for there to be no leap years, since some years that are multiples of four — like 1900 and 2100 — are not leap years.

From FiveThirtyEight

Had the leap year been the second, third or fourth year in the interval — or if there had been no leap years — then none of the seven lettered days started a month more than eight times.

From FiveThirtyEight

We have read the article carefully, but the Member to whom this Leap-Year proposal was made is not mentioned.

From Project Gutenberg

Every year of which the figure is divisible by four is a leap-year.

From Project Gutenberg

It was leap-year when I was there—and seventeen young widows—the wives of a deceased Mormon—offered me their hearts and hands.

From Project Gutenberg

Julius Cæsar gave to February 29 days in common years, and in leap-year 30.

From Project Gutenberg

Now in leap-year the 29th day of February is the additional or intercalary day.

From Project Gutenberg