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
-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.
Trivia Time
In Shakespeare's As You Like It, he describes the "seven ages of man." What is the final age?
age
1 American
[ayj]
/ 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:
In 2007, at the ripe age of 80, Mandell played a cantankerous, aging Nuremberg judge in a two-character production of “Trying.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
At present, the legal age until which education is compulsory is 16.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
That brought our already enormous family of nine children to five boys and six girls, all in middle age.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
As cells age or become damaged, some enter a state known as senescence.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
It was nice to see kids her age.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
NOTE.—The suffix -age is found only in French-Latin derivatives.
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
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
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
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
Record-high home prices and soaring mortgage rates have priced out many younger buyers, leaving comparatively better-off boomers, who are now between the ages of 61 and 79, as the dominant force in home buying.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
"Right through the ages... those who're righteous, they've always been attacked, abused, accused, killed, imprisoned -- and this is the way it is," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
The share of home buyers ages 25 to 34 who used an older cosigner rose to 3.7% in 2022 from 1.6% in 1994, according to the mortgage giant Freddie Mac.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
She’s a prekindergarten teacher for ages 4 and 5, which means she has lots of patience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
I waited for ages, and was just about to leave when finally she hung up, and I dug in my pocket for a quarter and dialed the twins’ number.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Apprentices aged 16 to 18 are entitled to the National Minimum Wage rate for that age group which is currently £8.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Among participants aged 70 and older, greater autophagy activity was associated with poorer measures of physical function across all three cell types studied.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
It’s 7.5% for those aged 25 to 29, compared with 5.3% in the U.S., and above China’s overall unemployment rate of around 5%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
This autumn the offer of a RSV vaccine has also been extended to higher-risk adults aged 65 to 74, including those who are immunosuppressed or have chronic respiratory disease.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Lianne closed her eyes for a second and her face lost all expression, as if she’d aged three or four years in an instant.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
The F-16V is a fourth-generation multi-role fighter and a significantly upgraded version of Taiwan's ageing F-16 A/B jets.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
While an ageing population and lower birth rates are limiting the supply of younger workers, higher participation rates among older employees and migration have helped to offset this decline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The genomic resource could eventually contribute to human research involving ageing, immunity, and disease resistance.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
The transition of electricity generation from large fossil fuel stations to the more remote locations used for renewables, such as offshore windfarms, will require Britain's ageing transmission grid to undergo extensive rewiring in coming years.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 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
In 2007, at the ripe age of 80, Mandell played a cantankerous, aging Nuremberg judge in a two-character production of “Trying.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Seven in 10 parents who live near loved ones identify as members of the sandwich generation — those who are simultaneously supporting young children and aging relatives.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
The water main break was the latest in Los Angeles over the past few months as officials struggle with aging infrastructure and failing water systems that have caused major disruptions for motorists and residents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
"Interest is growing in targeting autophagy to develop new healthy aging interventions," said Tatiana Moreno, PhD '26, lead author of the study and a former graduate student in the Kumsta lab.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
She could even hear, with her new awareness of the house, the dust drifting gently in the attics, the wood aging.
From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
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.
