Stone Age

American  

noun

1. the period in the history of humankind, preceding the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, and marked by the use of stone implements and weapons: subdivided into the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods.

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Stone Age British  

noun

1. a period in human culture identified by the use of stone implements and usually divided into the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic stages

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1. (sometimes not capitals) of or relating to this period

   stone-age man

Stone Age Scientific  

1. The earliest known period of human culture, marked by the use of stone tools.

2. See Mesolithic Neolithic Paleolithic See Note at Three Age system

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Stone Age Cultural  

1. A period encompassing all of human history, perhaps several million years, before the Bronze Age. In the Stone Age, people learned to make and use stone tools and weapons.

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Etymology

Origin of Stone Age

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Across the country, their fighters have joined private looters in stripping museums of valuable artifacts chronicling the country’s history from the Stone Age to the rise of Islam.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

These legendary musicians helped establish the desert rock scene and put it on the map with bands like Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

When Kyuss broke up, Queens of the Stone Age rose from the ashes.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

"The Stone Age sign sequences are an early alternative to writing," says Prof Christian Bentz from Saarland University, an author of the new research.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

I had leaped from the Stone Age into the beginning of the Industrial Revolution without any pain, in fact, with a lot of joy.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George