New Year

noun

1
: the calendar year about to start or recently started
2
a
usually New Year's : new year's day
b
: the first days of a calendar year
3
: rosh hashanah

Examples of New Year in a Sentence

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.
One of the last times Dolly Parton performed in Miami, Florida was with her goddaughter, pop star Miley Cyrus during Cyrus's New Year's Eve Party in 2022. — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026 The pair long bonded over their love for music, sharing the stage during multiple high-profile performances including the 61st Grammy Awards in 2019 and Cyrus’ 2022 New Year’s Eve Party special on NBC. — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Both the Empire State Building and the One Times Square New Year’s Eve dropping ball were lit with pink lights in Parton’s memory. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026 Parton wrote in the Instagram caption alongside a promotional image of them for their New Year’s Eve special. — Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for New Year

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of New Year was in the 13th century

Rhymes for New Year

See All Rhymes for New Year

Browse Nearby Words

New World vulture
New Year
New Year's Day
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“New Year.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/New%20Year. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

New Year

noun
1
: new year's day
also : the first days of the year
2
: rosh hashanah
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of kith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

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

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

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

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All