old
far advanced in the years of one's or its life: an old man;an old horse;an old tree.
of or relating to the latter part of the life or term of existence of a person or thing: old age.
as if or appearing to be far advanced in years: Worry had made him old.
having lived or existed for a specified time: a man 30 years old;a century-old organization.
having lived or existed as specified with relation to younger or newer persons or things: Jim is our oldest boy.
having been aged for a specified time: This whiskey is eight years old.
having been aged for a comparatively long time: old brandy.
long known or in use: the same old excuse.
overfamiliar to the point of tedium: Some jokes get old fast.
belonging to the past: the good old days.
having been in existence since the distant past: a fine old family.
no longer in general use: Our dishwasher is an old model, so replacement parts are hard to find.
acquired, made, or in use by one prior to the acquisition, making, or use of something more recent: When the new house was built, we sold the old one.
of, relating to, or originating at an earlier period or date: old maps.
former; having been so formerly: I ran into my old piano teacher the other day.
prehistoric; ancient: There may have been an old land bridge between Asia and Alaska.
Old, (of a language) in its oldest known period, as attested by the earliest written records: Old Czech.
experienced: He's an old hand at welding.
of long standing; having been such for a comparatively long time: an old and trusted employee.
(of colors) dull, faded, or subdued: old rose.
deteriorated through age or long use; worn, decayed, or dilapidated: old clothes.
Physical Geography. (of landforms) far advanced in reduction by erosion or the like.
sedate, sensible, mature, or wise: That child seems old beyond his years.
(used to indicate affection, familiarity, disparagement, or a personalization): good old Bob;that dirty old jalopy.
Usually the old .(used with a plural verb) old persons collectively: appropriations to care for the old.
a person or animal of a specified age or age group (used in combination): a class for six-year-olds;a horse race for three-year-olds.
old or former time, often time long past: days of old.
Origin of old
1Other words for old
Opposites for old
Other words from old
- old·ness, noun
Words Nearby old
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use old in a sentence
He also owns three of the top five seasons by average fastball velocity among players 30 and older.
Meanwhile, a 20-something university student told me that the coronavirus now feels like old news to her peers.
Innovation is all about using new technology to improve old processes.
How to drive digital innovation necessary during the pandemic | Nick Chasinov | September 16, 2020 | Search Engine WatchAfter 147 years, the Paris Cafe, one of the oldest bars in New York City, has poured its final cocktail.
Then came the discovery of 279,000-year-old stone spear tips in Ethiopia.
Let’s learn about ancient technology | Bethany Brookshire | September 15, 2020 | Science News For Students
So here I am in my requisite Lululemon pants, grunting along to an old hip-hop song at a most ungodly hour.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze | Lizzie Crocker | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIt would became one of the first great mysteries in the United States of America, as it was only then 23 years old.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion | Nina Strochlic | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTTo borrow an old right-wing talking point, these people are angry no matter what we do.
He plays an aging punk rocker and I play the drummer from his old band.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness | Marlow Stern | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTTwelve-year-old dance prodigy Maddie Ziegler has suffered the wrath of Dance Moms tyrant Abby Lee Miller.
See Burly Shia LaBeouf Interpretive Cage Fight Lil Sia in the Singer’s Fantastic New Music Video | Marlow Stern | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTDavy looked around and saw an old man coming toward them across the lawn.
Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. CarrylHis wife stood smiling and waving, the boys shouting, as he disappeared in the old rockaway down the sandy road.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopinold Mrs. Wurzel and the buxom but not too well-favoured heiress of the house of Grains were at the head of the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsVicars' wives had come and gone, but all had submitted, some after a brief struggle, to old Mrs. Wurzel's sway.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsBut with all her advantages Miss Solomonson failed with the old lord, and she abuses him to this day.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
British Dictionary definitions for old
/ (əʊld) /
having lived or existed for a relatively long time: an old man; an old tradition; old wine; an old house; an old country
of or relating to advanced years or a long life: old age
(as collective noun; preceded by the): the old
old and young people of all ages
decrepit or senile
worn with age or use: old clothes; an old car
(postpositive) having lived or existed for a specified period: a child who is six years old
(in combination): a six-year-old child
(as noun in combination): a six-year-old
(capital when part of a name or title) earlier or earliest of two or more things with the same name: the old edition; the Old Testament; old Norwich
(capital when part of a name) designating the form of a language in which the earliest known records are written: Old English
(prenominal) familiar through long acquaintance or repetition: an old friend; an old excuse
practised; hardened: old in cunning
(prenominal often preceded by good) cherished; dear: used as a term of affection or familiarity: good old George
informal (with any of several nouns) used as a familiar form of address to a person: old thing; old bean; old stick; old fellow
skilled through long experience (esp in the phrase an old hand)
out-of-date; unfashionable
remote or distant in origin or time of origin: an old culture
(prenominal) former; previous: my old house was small
(prenominal) established for a relatively long time: an old member
(in combination): old-established
sensible, wise, or mature: old beyond one's years
(of a river, valley, or land surface) in the final stage of the cycle of erosion, characterized by flat extensive flood plains and minimum relief: See also youthful (def. 4), mature (def. 6)
(intensifier) (esp in phrases such as a good old time, any old thing, any old how, etc)
(of crops) harvested late
good old days an earlier period of time regarded as better than the present
little old informal indicating affection, esp humorous affection: my little old wife
the old one or the old gentleman informal a jocular name for Satan
an earlier or past time (esp in the phrase of old): in days of old
Origin of old
1usage For old
Derived forms of old
- oldish, adjective
- oldness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with old
In addition to the idioms beginning with old
- old as Adam
- old chestnut
- old college try, the
- old saw
- old shoe
- old stamping ground
- old story, an
- old wives' tale
also see:
- any old
- chip off the old block
- comfortable as an old shoe
- dirty joke (old man)
- get the air (old heave-ho)
- no fool like an old fool
- of old
- ripe old age
- same old story
- settle a score (old scores)
- stamping ground, old
- teach an old dog new tricks
- up to one's old tricks
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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