yearling

noun

year·​ling ˈyir-liŋ 

ˈyər-lən

: one that is a year old: such as

a

: an animal one year old or in the second year of its age

b

: a racehorse between January 1 of the year after the year in which it was foaled and the next January 1

yearling adjective

Examples of yearling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Read Next: How to Estimate a Buck’s Age (and Why Aging Deer Matters) Digging into the lowest percentage of yearlings in buck harvests, the top-performing states in 2023 include Oklahoma (7%), Florida (9%), Mississippi (9%), Louisiana (11%), Arkansas (12%), Texas (12%), and West Virginia (12%). —Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 23 Jan. 2025

In 1989, for example, the yearling (1 ½-year-old) buck harvest comprised 62% of the overall antlered deer harvest. —Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 23 Jan. 2025

This spring, a blond yearling started sniffing around the Yamkovenkos’ back door. —Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

The yearling scrambled back up its tree, then let go and fell, landing with a sickening thud. —Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for yearling

• unfurling
• burling
• curling
• hurling
• pearling
• sperling
• sterling
• swirling
• twirling
• whirling

Kids Definition

yearling

noun

year·​ling ˈyi(ə)r-liŋ 

1

: one and especially an animal that is a year old or in the second year after birth

2

: a racehorse between January 1st of the year after the year in which it was born and the next January 1st

yearling adjective