old-time
Americanadjective
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belonging to or characteristic of old or former times, methods, ideas, etc..
old-time sailing ships; an old-time piano player.
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being long established.
old-time residents.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of old-time
First recorded in 1815–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dollywood, the theme park founded by country music legend Dolly Parton, opened in Tennessee in 1986 and boasts roller coasters, seasonal festivals and old-time displays of rural and small-town American life.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Whether she directs that talent toward good or evil varies from episode to episode, but she embodies the scrappy, anarchic spirit of old-time New York.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
Born Max Katz Breit in 1873, he immigrated as a boy to America where he “began his tutelage with . . . an old-time professional trickster” and came up with his stage name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
Around here, we enjoy a good story about an old-time guy preserved in a bog.
From Slate ● Jul. 26, 2025
Bimbi, an old-time burglar, had been in many prisons.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.