age
noun
the length of time during which a being or thing has existed; length of life or existence to the time spoken of or referred to.
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age
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-age
-agea suffix typically forming mass or abstract nouns from various parts of speech, occurring originally in loanwords from French (voyage; courage ) and productive in English with the meanings “aggregate” (coinage; peerage; trackage ), “process” (coverage; breakage ), “the outcome of ” as either “the fact of ” or “the physical effect or remains of ” (seepage; wreckage; spoilage ), “place of living or business” (parsonage; brokerage ), “social standing or relationship” (bondage; marriage; patronage ), and “quantity, measure, or charge” (footage; shortage; tonnage; towage ).
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A.G.E.
A.G.E.abbreviationAssociate in General Education.
age
1 American
[eyj]
/ eɪdʒ /
noun
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ages
plural
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the length of time during which a being or thing has existed; length of life or existence to the time spoken of or referred to.
trees of unknown age; His age is 20 years.
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a period of human life, measured by years from birth, usually marked by a certain stage or degree of mental or physical development and involving legal responsibility and capacity.
the age of discretion; the age of consent; The state raised the drinking age from 18 to 21 years.
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the particular period of life at which a person becomes naturally or conventionally qualified or disqualified for anything.
He was over age for military duty.
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one of the periods or stages of human life.
a person of middle age.
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advanced years; old age.
His eyes were dim with age.
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a particular period of history, as distinguished from others; a historical epoch.
the age of Pericles; the Stone Age; the age of electronic communications.
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the period of history contemporary with the span of an individual's life.
He was the most famous architect of the age.
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a generation or a series of generations.
ages yet unborn.
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a great length of time.
I haven't seen you for an age. He's been gone for ages.
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the average life expectancy of an individual or of the individuals of a class or species.
The age of a horse is from 25 to 30 years.
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Psychology. the level of mental, emotional, or educational development of a person, especially a child, as determined by various tests and based on a comparison of the individual's score with the average score for persons of the same chronological age.
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Geology.
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a period of the history of the earth distinguished by some special feature.
the Ice Age.
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a unit of geological time, shorter than an epoch, during which the rocks comprising a stage were formed.
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any of the successive periods in human history divided, according to Hesiod, into the golden, silver, bronze, heroic, and iron ages.
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Cards.
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Poker. the first player at the dealer's left.
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verb (used without object)
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ages,
present (3rd person singular)
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aged,
past participle, past
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aging,
present participle
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ageing
present participle (especially British)
verb (used with object)
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ages,
present (3rd person singular)
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aged,
past participle, past
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aging,
present participle
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ageing
present participle (especially British)
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to make old; cause to grow or seem old.
Fear aged him overnight.
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to bring to maturity or a state fit for use.
to age wine.
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to store (a permanent magnet, a capacitor, or other similar device) so that its electrical or magnetic characteristics become constant.
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to expose (a dye or dyed cloth) to steam or humid air in order to fix the dye.
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to stabilize the electrical properties of (a device) by passing current through it.
idioms
-age
2
American
A.G.E.
3
American
abbreviation
age
1
British
/ eɪdʒ /
noun
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the period of time that a person, animal, or plant has lived or is expected to live
the age of a tree
what age was he when he died?
the age of a horse is up to thirty years
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the period of existence of an object, material, group, etc
the age of this table is 200 years
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a period or state of human life
he should know better at his age
she had got beyond the giggly age
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( as modifier )
age group
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the latter part of life
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a period of history marked by some feature or characteristic; era
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( capital when part of a name )
the Middle Ages
the Space Age
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generation
the Edwardian age
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geology palaeontol
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a period of the earth's history distinguished by special characteristics
the age of reptiles
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the period during which a stage of rock strata is formed; a subdivision of an epoch
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myth any of the successive periods in the legendary history of man, which were, according to Hesiod, the golden, silver, bronze, heroic, and iron ages
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informal (often plural) a relatively long time
she was an age washing her hair
I've been waiting ages
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psychol the level in years that a person has reached in any area of development, such as mental or emotional, compared with the normal level for his chronological age See also achievement age mental age
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(often said humorously when yielding precedence) older people take precedence over younger people
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adult and legally responsible for one's actions (usually at 18 or, formerly, 21 years)
verb
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to grow or make old or apparently old; become or cause to become old or aged
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to begin to seem older
to have aged a lot in the past year
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brewing to mature or cause to mature
-age
2
British
suffix
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indicating a collection, set, or group
acreage
baggage
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indicating a process or action or the result of an action
haulage
passage
breakage
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indicating a state, condition, or relationship
bondage
parentage
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indicating a house or place
orphanage
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indicating a charge or fee
postage
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indicating a rate
dosage
mileage
age
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
Age, epoch, era, period all refer to an extent of time. Age usually implies a considerable extent of time, especially one associated with a dominant personality, influence, characteristic, or institution: the age of chivalry. Epoch and era are often used interchangeably to refer to an extent of time characterized by changed conditions and new undertakings: an era ( or epoch ) of invention. epoch sometimes refers especially to the beginning of an era: the steam engine—an epoch in technology. A period may be long or short, but usually has a marked condition or feature: the glacial period; a period of expansion.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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agesimple
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agessimple
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have agedperfect
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has agedperfect
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am ageingprogressive
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am agingprogressive
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are ageingprogressive
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are agingprogressive
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is ageingprogressive
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is agingprogressive
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have been ageingperfect progressive
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have been agingperfect progressive
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has been ageingperfect progressive
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has been agingperfect progressive
Past
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agedsimple
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had agedperfect
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was ageingprogressive
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was agingprogressive
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were ageingprogressive
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were agingprogressive
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had been ageingperfect progressive
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had been agingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of age1
First recorded in 1225–75; (for the noun) Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French aage, eage, equivalent to aé, eé (from Latin ae(vi)tās “age, lifetime,” from aev(um) “eternity, period, time” + -itās -ity ) + -age -age; verb derivative of the noun
Origin of -age2
Middle English < Old French < Latin -āticum, neuter of -āticus adj. suffix; an extension of Latin -āta -ate 1, whose range of senses it reflects closely
Explanation
Your age is the number of years you've been alive. If your cat is six, you can say that he's "six years of age." You can also talk about a stage of life or an era in history as an age: "School age kids need to get outside and play every day." Often when someone mentions age as a concept or idea, they mean old age, or being elderly. And the verb age means "grow older." The word comes from the Old French aage, "age or lifetime," from the Latin root aevum, "lifetime, eternity, or age."
Vocabulary lists containing age
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.
See Examples For:
So Clarett brought an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, aiming to enter the league earlier than their age restrictions allow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
US actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in TV series Heroes and Nashville, has died at the age of 36.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
My friends are the same age, and I had seen the threat that middle age poses, the compulsion to make really poor choices at the cost of so much.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The amount depends on where your son lives, his age, the plan he selected, whether he is eligible for a subsidy, whether you claim him as a tax dependent, your household MAGI, among other factors.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
“My son is just about your age, I think,” she said.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
NOTE.—The suffix -age is found only in French-Latin derivatives.
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
This suffix is the equivalent of the French -age, and is a suffix of frequent occurrence in forming new words.
From Frédéric Mistral Poet and Leader in Provence by Charles Alfred Downer
We incline to think rather that it corresponds to -age, being added chiefly to words in e. -age fits rather upon stems in a. gounfle, swollen. gounflige, swelling.
From Frédéric Mistral Poet and Leader in Provence by Charles Alfred Downer
Examples of words formed in imitation of these in English itself are blockade, orangeade. -age, ending of abstract nouns, as homage; marks place where, as vicarage;—of English formation, bondage, brewage, parsonage.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Another large group of hovering accents is that formed by French words with such terminations as -our, -ance, -ace, -age, -ant, -ess.
From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Raymond MacDonald Alden
Other companies have opted to release less-niche products that can still be marketed toward GLP-1 patients, such as SkinCeuticals’ new A.G.E.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2025
In a 1998 federal indictment, U.S. prosecutors in Reno identified him as the former president of a company, A.G.E.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2022
Cardiovascular health, in particular, has emerged as an important influence on how the brain ages.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
They’ve read the research documenting how the outdoors, including urban green spaces, improves cognition, social connection and physical strength, while decreasing depression and anxiety in all ages, but especially seniors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
He's treated men of all ages - some in their mid-20s, while his oldest client is aged 72.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
While the novel’s plot takes a number of imaginative departures from the historical record, Ms. Barr has an eye for lively details that will appeal to her audience of readers ages 10 and up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
It was something in her eyes, the sorrow of long ages lived in them.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Arday, who became Cambridge's youngest ever black professor in 2023, was found dead Friday aged 41, following multiple plagiarism accusations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
She had one brother, Jansen Panettiere, who died aged 28 in 2023.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
It is quite a journey for co-founder Morgan, whose early fame came aged 17 when he was kicked by Chelsea's Hazard during the side's game against Swansea City in 2013.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
About 14% of Hispanic adults aged 65 or older have Alzheimer's, compared with 10% of non-Hispanic white older adults.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
When a Russian diplomat invited her to the court of Czar Alexander III, Kate packed her two boys, aged six and eight, and traveled to St. Petersburg.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
"Sanctions are being circumvented using ageing and poorly maintained tankers, putting coastlines and marine ecosystems at risk," she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
There is anger and fear, as well as hope and acceptance, exposing the growing anxieties over immigration and social change as Japan grapples with a labour shortage from a shrinking and ageing population.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The cost today would be higher due to inflation and the ageing population.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The exodus and the ageing of the ethnic Slavic population -- many descendants of people forcibly resettled there in the Soviet era -- and the lack of economic prospects are all driving the internal migration.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
They were both old and round, and they lived in their flat with a number of ageing Highland terriers who had names like Hamish and Andrew and Jock.
From "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman
Led by researchers at Flinders University and the University of Canberra, the study found that aging is associated with a "safety-first" walking strategy.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Our new friend moved me to think that we’re all works in progress—even those of us, like my sister, who are deep in the challenges of aging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Singapore is one of the world's fastest aging countries and its seniors are embracing the challenge of staying healthy creatively.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The proposed fracking plan would quadruple production on an aging offshore platform in the Santa Barbara Channel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
He looked older than in the picture Richard had seen, closer to seventy than sixty, but his was an elegant aging; his strides were long and his chin firm.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
