ago
Americanadjective
adverb
adverb
Usage
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 ….
Etymology
Origin of ago
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
Explanation
Use ago to mean "earlier" or "in the past." Dinosaurs lived a long time ago. The adverb ago refers to a time before the present moment, sometimes in the distant past, and sometimes more recently: "She just left for her appointment ten minutes ago." When you talk about the more remote past, you might say "long ago" or "a long time ago." Ago was originally a shortened form of agone in Middle English, "departed or passed away."
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.
The latest proposal is nearly 4% higher than the offer Ingenia rejected a week ago and more than 10% higher than an initial approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
When he walked off he turned and raised his bat amid a standing ovation from The Oval crowd – as Pietersen famously did 21 years ago.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Right-handed reliever Edgardo Henriquez, who landed on the IL two weeks ago with lower-back discomfort, is scheduled to throw to batters this week at Dodger Stadium, Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
"It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago."
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Every time my grandparents came here, they sat at this table with two forks, one NDN taco, and the same moony expressions as all those years ago.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
