From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishyearsyearsa) informalLONG TIME a very long period of time SYN ages It’s years since I rode a bike.in/for years I haven’t been there for years. It was the first time in years I’d seen her. b) AGEage, especially old agea man/woman/person etc of his/her etc years Gordon is very active for a man of his years.getting on in years (=no longer young) → year
Examples from the Corpus
in/for years• This neglect of walking has been apparent for years.• Clem Streeter told his story around Catskill for years.• I have done it for years.• Miles wondered whether his cousin Matt, who had lived for years in Kansas, found it to be gray there.• H., have been silent for years.• I haven't been there for years.• It was the first time in years I had seen Kathy smiling.• The road was narrow and twisting, the surface frequently broken, and left unrepaired for years because of the war.• No ordinary person wants them any more, though they will for years to come provide talking points for the chattering classes.yearsyears[plural] a particular period of time in someone’s life or in history the difficult years following the war Sheila enjoyed her years as a student in Oxford. → year 