old

Syllabification: (old)

Pronunciation: /ōld/

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Definition of old

adjective (older, oldest)

See also elder¹, eldest.

1having lived for a long time; no longer young:the old man lay propped up on cushions
made or built long ago:the old quarter of the town
possessed or used for a long time:he gave his old clothes away
having the characteristics or showing the signs of age:marble now so old that it has turned gray and chipped
informal boring or tiresome, especially as a result of repetition or overfamiliarity:I wish she’d shut up—it’s getting old

2 [attributive] belonging only or chiefly to the past; former or previous:valuation under the old rating system was inexact
used to refer to the first of two or more similar things:I was going to try to get my old job back
dating from far back; long-established or known:we greet each other like old friends I get sick of the same old routine
(of a form of a language) as used in former or earliest times.

3 [in combination] of a specified age:he was fourteen years old a seven-month-old baby
[as nounin combination] a person or animal of the age specified:a nineteen-year-old

4 [attributive] informal used to express affection, familiarity, or contempt:it gets the old adrenaline going “Good old Mom,” she said

Phrases

any old: any item of a specified type (used to show that no particular or special individual is in question):any old room would have done
any old way: in no particular order:they’ve dropped things just any old way
as old as the hills: of very long standing or very great age (often used in exaggerated statements).
be old enough to be someone's father (or mother): informal of a much greater age than someone (especially used to suggest that a romantic or sexual relationship between the people concerned is inappropriate).
for old times' sake: see sake¹.
of old
the old days: a period in the past, often seen as significantly different from the present, especially noticeably better or worse:it was easier in the old days we are less confident than in the good old days the bad old days of incoherence and irresponsibility

Derivatives

oldish
oldness

Origin:

Old English ald; related to Dutch oud and German alt, from an Indo-European root meaning 'grown-up, adult', shared by Latin alere 'nourish'

Where two, and no more, are involved, they may be older and younger: the older of the twins, by ten minutes, is Sam; the younger is Pamela. Where there are more than two, one may be the oldest or youngest: I have four siblings, of whom Jane is the oldest. See also former¹ and latter.

old in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of old in the British & World English dictionary

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Other

old

adjective (older, oldest)

Phrases

any old

any old way

as old as the hills

be old enough to be someone's father (or mother)

for old times' sake

of old

the old days

Derivatives

oldish

oldness

Origin:

old in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for old

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