old
Americanadjective
-
far advanced in the years of one's or its life.
an old man;
an old horse;
an old tree.
- Antonyms:
- young
-
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 century-old organization.
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.
-
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.
-
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): that dirty old jalopy.
good old Bob;
that dirty old jalopy.
-
Informal. (used as an intensive) great; uncommon.
a high old time.
noun
-
(used with a plural verb) Usually the old old persons collectively.
appropriations to care for the old.
-
a person or animal of a specified age or age group (used in combination): a horse race for three-year-olds.
a class for six-year-olds;
a horse race for three-year-olds.
-
old or former time, often time long past.
days of old.
adjective
-
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
-
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
-
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 mature
-
(intensifier) (esp in phrases such as a good old time, any old thing, any old how, etc)
-
(of crops) harvested late
-
an earlier period of time regarded as better than the present
-
informal indicating affection, esp humorous affection
my little old wife
-
informal a jocular name for Satan
noun
Usage
Many people nowadays prefer to talk about older people rather than old people , and the phrase the old is best avoided altogether
Other Word Forms
- oldish adjective
- oldness noun
Etymology
Origin of old
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English eald, ald; cognate with Dutch old, German alt, Gothic altheis; akin to Old Norse ala “to nourish”
Explanation
Use the adjective old to describe someone who's been alive for a long time. When you're 30, 60 seems old, and when you're 60, 90 seems old. When you're 90, face it, you're old! The adjective old also means former. It can be fun to visit your favorite teachers at your old elementary school, or to drive through your old neighborhood. You can use old to describe something of long duration, like your old friends from camp who you visit every summer. Old also has numerous informal or slang uses, like the phrase "any old," which you'd use to say, "I don't want just any old job; I want to be a circus clown."
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.
Brase, 58 years old, previously served as president and chief operating officer of J.M.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
An old soul with with a huge, commanding voice, his catalog hovers between the orchestral swoon of pre-rock ballads, the pristine melodies of Anita Baker and the rangy, resilient yearning of his hometown’s soul tradition.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
The problem is relatively new, but the solution is very, very old.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026
This means the particles there are very old and have lost much of their energy, further highlighting the impact of the cluster's extreme conditions.
From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026
This, though, was to be a major broadcast; somehow we all felt it merited the large old set with its elaborate speaker.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
