ago

[uh-goh]

adjective

1. gone; gone by; past (usually preceded by a noun).

   five days ago.

adverb

1. in past time; in the past.

   All this happened long ago.

ago

/ əˈɡəʊ /

adverb

1. in the past

   five years ago

   long ago

Usage

The use of ago with since ( it's ten years ago since he wrote the novel ) is redundant and should be avoided: it is ten years since he wrote the novel

Word History and Origins

Origin of ago¹

before 1000; Middle English ago ( n ), Old English āgān, past participle of āgān to go by, pass, equivalent to ā- a- ³ + gān to go ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ago¹

C14 ago, from Old English āgān to pass away

Example Sentences

Listen, about a decade ago, antisemitism began rising on the left, and the Democrat Party did nothing.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A decade ago, Ford made the then-controversial decision to replace steel with aluminum in the bodies of its large trucks and SUVs to reduce weight and improve fuel economy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Elected members agreed to fund the pilot extension of the Imagination Library in Belfast, following a notice of motion from Councillor Séamas De Faoite almost three years ago.

Read more on BBC

It was already safe to say that the genre wasn’t going anywhere decades ago.

Read more on Salon

Ten years ago, there were 3,211 reported assaults, including harassment and common assaults.

Read more on BBC

When To Use

What does ago mean?

Ago means in the past.It’s always used in combination with other words that indicate exactly or about how much time has passed since something happened—never by itself (you wouldn’t say That happened ago).Examples of such phrases are three weeks ago, an hour ago, five days ago, long ago, and a long time ago.Example: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ….