senior moment

American

noun

Often Facetious.

a brief lapse in memory or a moment of confusion, especially in an older person.

senior moment British

noun

humorous a lapse of memory common in elderly people

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of senior moment

1995–2000; senior (citizen) + moment

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.

Yes, America, it’s just a minor, momentary senior moment.

From Washington Times • Jun. 5, 2023

She stalls for a second as if she’s either going to claim a senior moment or lie.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2022

The former president chuckled, shook his head and joked that he was having a senior moment.

From New York Times • Jun. 8, 2022

The second is that he was having a senior moment — and thought he was still coaching the Jets.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2021

When Adam Nagourney filed his dispatch for the Times 23 years ago from Los Angeles, the story of Dole’s senior moment in California would still be unknown to almost all.

From Fox News • Mar. 13, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023