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Synonyms

of old

Idioms  

  1. Formerly, long since, at an earlier time, as in In days of old the whole town turned out to watch the parade. This somewhat archaic idiom dates from about 1400.

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.

In some regions, scientists have found fragments of old tectonic plates and bursts of volcanic activity that did not fully make sense before.

From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2026

The Bottom Line: The coming lending spree of old banks and new institutions could give Mexico’s economy a much-needed boost, but gains from reinvested capex will take several months to trickle down to corporate earnings.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

"Just going in the practice room and hanging around this venue, I feel kind of old now because everyone's 22, 23 - it's like walking into a creche," added O'Sullivan.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

“We thought low end of old guidance or maybe $3.2B, so this new guidance is a big surprise, and very nice to see,” Valentini says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

They decided to let me out of the cage, so they took a set of old blocks from DeeLee’s room and built me a huge maze.

From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

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.