an·nu·al
ˈan-yə(-wə)l 
-yü-əl
1
: covering the period of a year
annual rainfall
annual income
2
: occurring or happening every year or once a year : yearly
an annual reunion
an annual physical checkup
3
: completing the life cycle in one growing season or single year
annual plants
1
: an event that occurs yearly
2
: a publication appearing yearly
the high-school annual
3
: something that lasts one year or season
specifically
: a plant that completes its life cycle in one growing season
Examples of annual in a Sentence
Adjective
The annual meeting is in July.
The company's earnings for last year are published in the annual report.
We had more snow this year than the average annual amount.
The company charges an annual fee of $45.
Noun
We planted some annuals in front of the house.
Recent Examples on the Web
Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Budapest has hosted several annual iterations of the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, and another was hastily rescheduled this year to fall in March, just before Hungary's elections.
—Matthew Lee, Arkansas Online, 17 Feb. 2026
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2026
The same plant or seeds will flourish when started weeks later when the soil has warmed up Soil temperature is especially important for flowering annuals and vegetables; many are classified as being better suited to cooler or warmer soil.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for annual
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Adjective
Ferguson is listed as the sole director of the companies, all of which applied in recent days to be struck off the UK’s official Companies House register, where virtually all businesses must file information such as directors’ details and annual returns.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Budapest has hosted several annual iterations of the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, and another was hastily rescheduled this year to fall in March, just before Hungary's elections.
—Matthew Lee, Arkansas Online, 17 Feb. 2026
Noun
Some begonias are annuals, others perennials so always read the care tags but all prefer full to partial shade.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2026
The same plant or seeds will flourish when started weeks later when the soil has warmed up Soil temperature is especially important for flowering annuals and vegetables; many are classified as being better suited to cooler or warmer soil.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for annual
Cite this Entry
“Annual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annual. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
annual
1 of 2 adjective
an·nu·al
ˈan-y(ə-w)əl
1
: covering the period of a year
annual rainfall
2
: occurring or performed once a year : yearly
an annual meeting
3
: completing the life cycle in one growing season or single year
annual plants
annually
adverb
-ē
annual
2 of 2 noun1
: a publication appearing yearly
2
: an annual plant
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English annual "for a year," from early French annuel and Latin annualis (both, same meaning), derived from Latin annus "year"
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