oldie
Americannoun
noun
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an old person or thing
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a parent
children and their oldies
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of oldie
Explanation
An oldie is a beloved old song, TV show, or movie. Many radio stations specialize in playing "the golden oldies" — songs like "Poison Ivy" or "Shake Yo' Bootie." As time goes on, more and more highlights of popular culture become oldies — in the 1970s, people listened to oldies from the 50s, but today there are just as many classic radio oldies from the 70s and even 80s. You can also watch oldies on television — old shows in black and white like "Father Knows Best," or with obvious, dated laugh tracks, like "Gilligan's Island."
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.
Yet the 76-year-old singer and songwriter remains a much-talked-about pop-culture fixture, not least on TikTok, where his oldie “Zanzibar” never seems far from cropping up on one’s scroll.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025
Also in this year's mix are Brenda Lee's golden oldie Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and the latest incarnation of Band Aid.
From BBC • Dec. 14, 2024
The PA played an oldie: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” while the ice crew picked up the hats.
From Washington Times • Dec. 4, 2023
It's an oldie but a goodie, I guess.
From Salon • Oct. 13, 2023
So he can always fill in the blank with an oldie but goodie: “The state of Seattle is … not my fault.”
From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2023
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.
