year upon year

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "year upon year" is an idiom in English which means each passing year.
Example sentence: The company has gained success year upon year, becoming one of the top businesses in the country.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

57 human-written examples

Old Mr. Halliday, year upon year,.

The New Yorker

The Chinese space programme is gaining momentum year upon year.

The Guardian

"They kept from him, year upon year, evidence vital to his defense".

The New York Times

We're actually increasing our capital spending budget year upon year by about 15percentt.

The New York Times

In department after department, year upon year, ministers have proved unable to implement effective policies.

The Guardian - Opinion

Had she not arranged monthly direct debits for year upon year?

The Guardian - Books

It is a vivid story of year upon year of despair.

The New York Times

But it falls far short of what is needed year upon year.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

3 human-written examples

Year-upon-year, we have witnessed steady growth, but now we are really starting to see this hard work come to fruition.

The Guardian

Combinations of quantitative measures and qualitative assessments being applied within evaluation studies appear to reveal IDR processes but carry burdens of expense, intrusion, and lack of reproducibility year-upon-year.

Journal of Informetrics

Even in the 1990's, an exceptionally good period for business, only one in eight large companies managed to achieve continuous, year-upon-year earnings growth.

The New York Times - Magazine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "year upon year" to emphasize the ongoing nature of a trend or situation, indicating that it has been happening consistently over multiple years. This can add weight to your argument or description.

Common error

Be careful not to use "year upon year" in contexts where the repetition is already implied. For example, avoid saying "the trend increased year upon year annually", as "annually" is already redundant.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "year upon year" functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying verbs or clauses to indicate the frequency or duration of an action or state. As Ludwig confirms, it denotes something happening repeatedly each year.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

68%

Science

17%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The adverbial phrase "year upon year" is a versatile expression used to emphasize the consistent recurrence of an event or trend across multiple years. According to Ludwig, its grammatical function is to modify verbs or clauses, highlighting the frequency and duration. It is deemed grammatically correct and finds frequent application in neutral to formal registers, as supported by its presence in News & Media, Science, and Formal & Business contexts. Common alternatives include "annually", "each year" and "year after year". It's crucial to avoid redundancy when using this phrase. As Ludwig AI confirms, "year upon year" is a widely accepted and understood expression for indicating consistent, yearly repetition.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

year after year

Emphasizes continuous repetition across successive years using a slightly different structure.

each year

Directly indicates yearly recurrence with a simple structure.

every single year

Highlights the consistency of an event occurring without fail each year.

with each passing year

Emphasizes the continuation of something as time progresses.

successive years

Focuses on the sequence of years in which something happens.

from year to year

Highlights variations or changes that occur between years.

annually

A single word expressing the action happening every year.

on a yearly basis

Formal way to describe something that happens every year.

per annum

More formal, often used in financial contexts to mean "each year".

over the years

Broader timeframe indicating a trend or pattern observed across many years.

FAQs

How can I use "year upon year" in a sentence?

Use "year upon year" to emphasize that something occurs consistently over multiple years. For example: "The company's profits have increased "year upon year" due to innovative strategies".

What are some alternatives to using "year upon year"?

You can use alternatives like "annually", "each year", or "year after year" depending on the specific context.

Is it better to say "year after year" or "year upon year"?

Both "year after year" and "year upon year" are grammatically correct and convey a similar meaning. The choice between them often comes down to personal preference, though "year upon year" might sound slightly more formal in some contexts.

What does "year upon year" mean?

"Year upon year" means that something happens repeatedly every year without fail. It emphasizes the consistency and continuation of an event or trend over successive years.