fiscal year

noun

: an accounting period of 12 months

Examples of fiscal year in a Sentence

Sales were up in the last fiscal year. Our fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As of fiscal year 2025, roughly 19% of all federal revenue—or about 39 cents of every dollar paid in individual income taxes—goes toward interest payments, not reducing the debt principal. — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Revenue guidance for the fiscal year ending in June 2027 also narrowly missed the Street’s expectations. — Scott Schnipper, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026 The agency said officers and agents seized about 46,000 pounds during fiscal year 2025 and nearly 19,000 pounds during the first nine months of fiscal year 2026. — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026 SeaWorld’s parent company, United Parks & Resorts, has reported a general decline in attendance, revenue and earnings across its parks, most recently in the 2025 fiscal year. — Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fiscal year

Word History

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fiscal year was in 1843

Rhymes for fiscal year

See All Rhymes for fiscal year

Browse Nearby Words

fiscal stamp
fiscal year
Fischer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fiscal year.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiscal%20year. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Legal Definition

fiscal year

noun
: an accounting period of 12 months
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All