old man

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a father, usually one's own.

   His old man's letting him have the car for the prom.

2. a husband.

   The office is giving my old man a retirement party.

3. a boyfriend or male lover, especially a male lover with whom one cohabits.

4. (sometimes initial capital letters) a person in a position of authority, especially an employer or a commanding officer.

   The Old Man has ordered an inspection for Saturday morning.

5. (used affectionately in addressing a man).

6. old Adam.

7. southernwood.

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old man British  

noun

1. an informal term for father husband

2. informal (sometimes capitals) a man in command, such as an employer, foreman, or captain of a ship

3. facetious an affectionate term used in addressing a man

4. another name for southernwood

5. informal

   1. an adult male kangaroo

   2. (as modifier) very large

6. Christianity the unregenerate aspect of human nature

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

old man

“I am the old man and I feel young because I can still go out there and do young-man stuff,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

Over the course of the day, the boy gets to know his grandfather better, both as the old man he is now and the young boy he once was.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

There’s a well-known scene from a 2001 episode of “SpongeBob SquarePants” in which a mob of fish mistakes a feeble old man for a bully and attacks him.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

His first novel, a nearly 400-page story of an old man who travels to a fictional Southern city where he mostly sits on a park bench, has broken every rule in publishing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

The press had found their star in the blunt old man determined to stay by his mountain.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Related Words

• dad
• father
• husband