year-over-year

or year o·ver year

[ yeer-oh-ver-yeer ]

adverb

, Accounting, Finance.

1. as compared with the corresponding figure 12 months earlier; involving or reckoned by such a comparison: : YoY

   Exports fell 2 percent year over year in May.

   February rents for one-bedroom apartments saw a year-over-year increase of 6 percent.

2. in each year that passes after an initial investment, the start of an observed trend, etc.; annual or annually:

   The gain from this software purchase has been our best ROI year over year.

   Over the last decade, the year-over-year trend in inflation has strongly correlated with the year-over-year trend in GDP.

Word History and Origins

Origin of year-over-year¹

First recorded in 1790–1800, for an earlier sense

Example Sentences

Grindr also saw a 15% year-over-year increase in the number of average paying users, reaching 1.1 million.

From Los Angeles Times

The tax has contributed to a nearly 40% year-over-year drop in sales of office, retail, industrial and multifamily properties, or $1.9 billion below last year’s total, the report said.

From Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles public school students have some positive news when it comes to the standardized tests they took in spring: Their scores rose in math and English across nearly every grade level and demographic — a year-over-year increase that bested improvements seen in state scores.

From Los Angeles Times

Department of Agriculture data for heavily affected states such as Texas, Idaho and Colorado showed a 1% to 3% drop in year-over-year milk production.

From Los Angeles Times

A representative for TikTok revealed that between January 2023 and January 2024, Alabama-based beauty business Canvas Beauty saw its sales grow five times year-over-year – allowing the company to grow their employee base 10 times over.

From Salon