yesteryear
noun
yes·ter·year
ˈye-stər-ˌyir 
1
: last year
2
: time gone by
especially
: the recent past
yesteryear
adverb
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Word History of Yesteryear
Mais où sont les neiges d’antan is the refrain of a famous poem by François Villon, translated as “But where are the snows of yesteryear?” The line is understood to express a melancholy nostalgia.
The translation was by the English poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Both the French antan and yesteryear originally simply meant “last year,” but today their meaning has broadened to “time gone by.”
Examples of yesteryear in a Sentence
the simple games of yesteryear that kept children entertained for hours
Recent Examples on the Web
Now such money, like such stories, are part of yesteryear.
—
Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 26 May 2026
Employing a fictional slasher movie of yesteryear as the portal into a conversation about self and desire, this is heady, strange stuff, frustrating at times but captivating in both its confusion and its honesty.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Like the Kings and Blackhawks and Penguins and Lightning of yesteryear, the Avs have reached a different level, in rarefied air currently occupied by only Florida and Edmonton.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Alternatively, vintage-looking brass and polished nickel frames hark back to the bathrooms of yesteryear.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 28 Apr. 2026
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Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 26 May 2026
Employing a fictional slasher movie of yesteryear as the portal into a conversation about self and desire, this is heady, strange stuff, frustrating at times but captivating in both its confusion and its honesty.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Like the Kings and Blackhawks and Penguins and Lightning of yesteryear, the Avs have reached a different level, in rarefied air currently occupied by only Florida and Edmonton.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Alternatively, vintage-looking brass and polished nickel frames hark back to the bathrooms of yesteryear.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for yesteryear
Cite this Entry
“Yesteryear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yesteryear. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
yesteryear
noun
yes·ter·year
ˈyes-tər-ˌyi(ə)r
1
: last year
2
: the recent past
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