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

Let’s just say there’s a lot of Murphy programming on television these days, and the majority of the series are long-winded, long-running or just plain long in the tooth.

From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2024

“Well, well, we all get long in the tooth in time,” said Major Flint charitably.

From Miss Mapp by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson

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