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

The calendar is approximately a quarter of a day short, which is why we have leap years, to bring the calendar back in line with the Earth's orbit.

From BBC

Like clockwork, leap years roll around every four years.

From New York Times

She was born on 29 February, an elusive day that appears once every four years in a leap year - so she's only had seven birthdays on her actual day in her lifetime.

From BBC

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

For centuries, attempts to sync calendars with the length of the natural year have sowed chaos—until the concept of leap year provided a way to make up for lost time.

From National Geographic