Synonyms

long in the tooth

Idioms

Getting on in years, old, as in Aunt Aggie's a little long in the tooth to be helping us move. This expression alludes to a horse's gums receding with age and making the teeth appear longer. [Mid-1800s]

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:

long in the tooth

Some investors are worried that this AI-powered bull market might be getting a little long in the tooth as it approaches its fourth birthday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Some investors are worried that this artificial-intelligence-powered bull market might be getting a little long in the tooth as it approaches its fourth birthday.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Plenty of analysts have pointed out that this bull market is getting long in the tooth.

From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026

"I hope this the Sky series will do that because I'm getting pretty long in the tooth and I can't go on doing this forever."

From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2024

George looked at the inventory and decided that the fudge was getting a little long in the tooth.

From Return to Pleasure Island by Cory Doctorow

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023