of age
Idioms-
Old enough, according to the law, to be eligible for something, as in In this state he's not of age for buying liquor, but he may vote , or Next year Jane's coming of age and will get her driver's license . This usage was first recorded about 1430. The term under age signifies being too young to be eligible, as in It's against the law to serve alcohol to anyone under age .
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come of age . Mature or develop fully, as in The school's bilingual program has finally come of 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.
The companies are betting that as the next generation of fashion enthusiasts comes of age, an even larger wedge of their wallets will go to secondhand fashion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Sometimes, Saunders wonders whether the path she followed — go to college, get a job — would have led to her owning a home if she’d come of age in a different generation.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Conditions imposed include that she is not to have any contact with anyone under 18 years of age and must attend any necessary medical appointments.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Part of a generation that came of age after Hong Kong's 1997 return to Chinese rule, she attended the vigils from childhood and joined the Alliance in 2010 as a volunteer.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Although after an entire year all his promises are starting to show the telltale signs of age.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
