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:
Knox, from Seattle, was 21 when she was arrested in Italy over the murder of her flatmate, Meredith Kercher, a student from Surrey, who was the same age.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
So wrote publisher Henry Lawson in his preface to the original 1901 edition of what has become a classic of both Australian and feminist literature, about coming of age as a writer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Ben Jones, the actor who played Cooter Davenport on “The Dukes of Hazzard” then represented Georgia for two terms in Congress, has died at age 84.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Diagnosed with autism, Arday says he was non-verbal until age 11 and only learnt to read and write at 18, before becoming Cambridge's professor of sociology of education at 37.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
In answer, the spirits accurately communicated the deceased’s city, occupation, religion, age, number of children, and the disease that killed him.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
NOTE.—The suffix -age is found only in French-Latin derivatives.
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
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
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
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
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
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
According to research published earlier this year, “excess deaths” have surged among people between the ages of 25 and 44 when compared to mortality trends of young people from the early 2000s.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
A council spokesperson said new equipment suitable for ages 0-14 had been installed in recent weeks including new swings, slides, climbing frames, accessible and inclusive equipment and sensory panels.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
In the U.S., labor-force participation for women ages 25 to 54 went from a bit less than 77% in 2000 to 77.8% as of July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Some of these participants initially performed as well as, or slightly better than, other children at younger ages.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
But official records and the contemporaneous testimony of friends do not seem to support her version of their ages.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
His two daughters -- aged 12 and 14 -- are in their last year of primary, the older one having started school later.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
I grew a little neater as I aged, especially during Covid, but was never what anyone would call fastidious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
The force said seven men aged 31, 39, 40, 45, 59, 61, and 73 had been arrested in connection to "disorder" and all seven remained in police custody.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
According to new analysis by the King's Fund, 15% of England's adult population - those aged 16 and over - in 1993 was obese, with rates achieving a record high of 30% in 2024.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Just a couple of months before, an English gentleman had nearly fooled the Louvre with a perfectly aged copy.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
"If it's 35 degrees outside, it's over 40 degrees inside," said the 65-year-old, complaining that ageing residents were being afflicted with increasing headaches.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Most of the country's electricity is generated by ageing hydropower plants, which have suffered from poor maintenance over years.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Due to his ageing fabric, he now usually appears tethered rather than taking to the skies.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The danger with ageing fighters is chasing one more night.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 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
Half a lifetime ago, Hunt was a die-hard Chicago Bears fan working in residence with an improv group at a small, aging theater in Amsterdam when he got swept up in Dutch soccer culture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
The aging grid has also hampered the new solar parks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1 percent, likely a result of falling labor supply as the US economy grapples with an aging population and lower net migration.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Together, these papers provide new insight into how the genome's 3D organization shapes human development, aging, and numerous diseases.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Tucker snorted and pulled me to a section of the library in the back, where several aging computers sat in a line against the wall.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
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.
