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:
Research shows that air pollution begins to affect cognitive function especially strongly around age 40.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
Since graduating from Columbia University in 2021 as the class valedictorian at age 19, Leopold Aschenbrenner has worked his way into the upper echelons of technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Audience entanglement plagued creators from all walks of life, regardless of age, gender or nationality.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
She beat 19 other competitors in the age 16-17 category at the 2026 CrossFit Games in California - her third victory in a row after winning the age 14-15 title twice.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
I had reached fifty that spring, to Peter the age at which life had definitely passed by.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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
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
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
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
Det Ch Insp Emma Knight confirmed the force was "working to determine the ages of some of those arrested".
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
The University of Southampton-led team says it found a key problem in the way the earlier study estimated the ages of the exploding stars.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
Among people ages 18 to 34 who are not homeowners, 29% expect to buy a house within five years, down from 57% in 2015, according to Gallup’s polling data.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
A Class 2 e-bike can also be ridden by all ages, but those bicycles also include a throttle along pedal assist, and max out at a speed of 20 mph.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
For the first time in ages, I attacked my dinner almost as hard as Jay usually did.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
More ambitious production scenarios could potentially supply enough vitamin B12 to meet the RDA for more than 26.5 million children aged 1-3 and more than 50 million children aged 0-6 months.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
The man, aged in his 50s and not named, said he spent an hour and a half in the water before being rescued.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
But now, aged 27, she had a job she loved and a home.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Polling cited by Axios found that 36 percent of Black voters aged 18 to 29 named jobs and the economy as their top issue, compared with 11 percent who cited racism.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
When she woke up on her wedding day, Caroline looked drowsy and frazzled, as if she had aged several years since the last time we saw her.
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
People who had less sugar exposure during the first few years of life were much less likely to develop several different cancers later in life, and they also showed signs of slower biological ageing.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
Most job growth in recent years has come in sectors reflecting Japan’s ageing demographic, such as healthcare, medical and welfare.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
The entire project -- which includes replacing ageing radar -- is supposed to be completed by 2028.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
Greenock's population is not just shrinking, it is also ageing.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 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
Distillers’ warehouses are crammed with barrels of aging spirits laid down in better times that fewer people want to drink these days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Diageo is reducing the amount it distills by 50% over the next three years, while it works through an $8.5 billion backlog of aging inventory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
The similarities could allow scientists to use knowledge already gained from human research to improve canine health, while also using dogs to study how aging develops across an entire lifespan.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
An aging population needs more doctors, nurses and aides to care for the elderly.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
His legend growing, Jackson heard that an aging Thomas Jefferson had offered a toast in honor of his victory.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
