old
Americanadjective
-
far advanced in the years of one's or its life.
an old man;
an old horse;
an old tree.
- Antonyms:
- young
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of or relating to the latter part of the life or term of existence of a person or thing.
old age.
-
as if or appearing to be far advanced in years.
Worry had made him old.
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having lived or existed for a specified time: a century-old organization.
a man 30 years old;
a century-old organization.
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having lived or existed as specified with relation to younger or newer persons or things.
Jim is our oldest boy.
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having been aged for a specified time.
This whiskey is eight years old.
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having been aged for a comparatively long time.
old brandy.
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long known or in use.
the same old excuse.
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overfamiliar to the point of tedium.
Some jokes get old fast.
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belonging to the past.
the good old days.
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having been in existence since the distant past.
a fine old family.
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no longer in general use.
Our dishwasher is an old model, so replacement parts are hard to find.
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acquired, made, or in use by one prior to the acquisition, making, or use of something more recent.
When the new house was built, we sold the old one.
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of, relating to, or originating at an earlier period or date.
old maps.
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former; having been so formerly.
I ran into my old piano teacher the other day.
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There may have been an old land bridge between Asia and Alaska.
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Old, (of a language) in its oldest known period, as attested by the earliest written records.
Old Czech.
-
He's an old hand at welding.
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of long standing; having been such for a comparatively long time.
an old and trusted employee.
-
(of colors) dull, faded, or subdued.
old rose.
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deteriorated through age or long use; worn, decayed, or dilapidated.
old clothes.
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Physical Geography. (of landforms) far advanced in reduction by erosion or the like.
-
sedate, sensible, mature, or wise.
That child seems old beyond his years.
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(used to indicate affection, familiarity, disparagement, or a personalization): that dirty old jalopy.
good old Bob;
that dirty old jalopy.
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Informal. (used as an intensive) great; uncommon.
a high old time.
noun
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(used with a plural verb) Usually the old old persons collectively.
appropriations to care for the old.
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a person or animal of a specified age or age group (used in combination): a horse race for three-year-olds.
a class for six-year-olds;
a horse race for three-year-olds.
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old or former time, often time long past.
days of old.
adjective
-
having lived or existed for a relatively long time
an old man
an old tradition
old wine
an old house
an old country
-
-
of or relating to advanced years or a long life
old age
-
( as collective noun; preceded by the )
the old
-
people of all ages
-
-
decrepit or senile
-
worn with age or use
old clothes
an old car
-
-
(postpositive) having lived or existed for a specified period
a child who is six years old
-
( in combination )
a six-year-old child
-
( as noun in combination )
a six-year-old
-
-
(capital when part of a name or title) earlier or earliest of two or more things with the same name
the old edition
the Old Testament
old Norwich
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(capital when part of a name) designating the form of a language in which the earliest known records are written
Old English
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(prenominal) familiar through long acquaintance or repetition
an old friend
an old excuse
-
practised; hardened
old in cunning
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cherished; dear: used as a term of affection or familiarity
good old George
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informal (with any of several nouns) used as a familiar form of address to a person
old thing
old bean
old stick
old fellow
-
skilled through long experience (esp in the phrase an old hand )
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out-of-date; unfashionable
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remote or distant in origin or time of origin
an old culture
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(prenominal) former; previous
my old house was small
-
-
(prenominal) established for a relatively long time
an old member
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( in combination )
old-established
-
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sensible, wise, or mature
old beyond one's years
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(of a river, valley, or land surface) in the final stage of the cycle of erosion, characterized by flat extensive flood plains and minimum relief See also youthful mature
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(intensifier) (esp in phrases such as a good old time, any old thing, any old how, etc)
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(of crops) harvested late
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an earlier period of time regarded as better than the present
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informal indicating affection, esp humorous affection
my little old wife
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informal a jocular name for Satan
noun
Usage
Many people nowadays prefer to talk about older people rather than old people , and the phrase the old is best avoided altogether
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of old
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English eald, ald; cognate with Dutch old, German alt, Gothic altheis; akin to Old Norse ala “to nourish”
Explanation
Use the adjective old to describe someone who's been alive for a long time. When you're 30, 60 seems old, and when you're 60, 90 seems old. When you're 90, face it, you're old! The adjective old also means former. It can be fun to visit your favorite teachers at your old elementary school, or to drive through your old neighborhood. You can use old to describe something of long duration, like your old friends from camp who you visit every summer. Old also has numerous informal or slang uses, like the phrase "any old," which you'd use to say, "I don't want just any old job; I want to be a circus clown."
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:
He is less critical of Ms. Hedren, who is now 96 years old and an animal-rights activist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The federal government was required to set new rules for addressing shortages this year because the old rules are expiring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
But there’s an amiable flair to the way Araki conveys an old adage in a new way.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
In June it announced that, after discussions with researchers, safeguards had been strengthened and girls would be able to take part from age 11 years old with boys participating from 12.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Inside, I’m greeted with the tired smell of old, pent-up, sick-people air, combined with the acrid smell of too much antiseptic.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Following in the footsteps of his father and elder brothers, he joined the Gurkhas in 2003 at age 18 and joined the UK Special Forces in 2009.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
The elder Henrichsen has a criminal history that includes arrests in Oregon and California, according to the Sacramento Bee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
When Mao Zedong visited Moscow in 1950 to forge the Sino-Soviet alliance, Soviet propaganda posters depicted Stalin as slightly taller than Mao—a carefully calibrated signal of who was the elder brother.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The elder Ellison, one of the world's richest men, is a close ally of Trump and a major donor to his political campaigns.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Good morning, Auntie,” she said, deferring to the respectful greeting for an elder.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
For account holders 55 or older who are not enrolled in Medicare, an additional catch-up contribution of $1,000 is allowed.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
More immediately, researchers are also trying to give vets ways to consistently track mobility and physical function in individual dogs as they get older.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
They tend to be men who are a little older and make a bit more money.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
He's a little bit older, a little bit wiser.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Except for an older couple swimming laps in lanes one and two, the pool’s empty.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
She died in hospital during surgery, after exchanging "heartfelt 'I love you's with her eldest daughter", her family said in the GoFundMe page launched after her death.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, the president’s eldest sons, have a portfolio of tech companies that are raking in billions from the Pentagon.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Ms. Aviv writes of a psychotic mother with persecutory delusions who thinks her eldest daughter is in league with a scheming professor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The iPhone debuted in 2007, when the eldest members of Gen Z were about 10 years old.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
“The third eldest liked a little of everything, so I made sure nothing escaped his interest.”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
The oldest members of Generation Z are approaching their 30s, a decade when life may pick up momentum.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
“I’m the oldest sister of two babies, and those are my world and they see what I’m doing,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The animals are believed to be one of the oldest living cat species and are native to the dry, rocky areas of Central Asia.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
It is Brighton and Hove's oldest local nature reserve and a team of volunteers has been helping to manage the grasslands to promote glow worms.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
If you jump into the river, you will drown,’ said the oldest.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
