old

comparative older · comparative elder · superlative oldest · superlative eldest · US dialectal superlative oldermost · alternative colloquial ol · alternative colloquial ol' · alternative colloquial ole · alternative pronunciation spelling owld · alternative Geordie aad · alternative Ireland oul · alternative Ireland oul' · alternative Ireland ould · alternative archaic olde · alternative aud · alternative aul

1. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.

   an old friend

   3 more examples

   an old abandoned building

   They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.

   1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC

   When asked why the devices were retrofitted on older models instead of newer ones, Sarno said the MTA typically uses older car models when making modifications in case there are any unwanted effects.

   2025 March 9, Nic F. Anderson, “Tired of subway delays? The MTA wants to fix that by strapping Google smartphones to New York trains”, in CNN

   1. Of a living being, having lived for most of the expected years.

      a wrinkled old man

   2. Of a perishable item, having existed for most of, or more than, its shelf life.

      an old loaf of bread

   3. Of a species or language, belonging to a lineage that is distantly related to others.

      Basque is the oldest language in Europe

      1 more example

      the ginkgo is one of the oldest living trees

2. Having been used and thus no longer new or unused.

   I find that an old toothbrush is good to clean the keyboard with.

3. Having existed or lived for the specified time.

   The day was only a few hours old.

   2 more examples

   How old are they? She’s five years old and he's seven. We also have a young teen and a two-year-old child.

   My great-grandfather lived to be a hundred and one years old.

   Synonyms: aged, of age

4. Of an earlier time.
   1. Former, previous.

      My new car is not as good as my old one.  a school reunion for Old Etonians

      2 more examples

      The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; for, even after she had conquered her love for the Celebrity, the mortification of having been jilted by him remained.

      1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

      But over my old life, a new life had formed.

      1994, Michael Grumley, Life Drawing

      Synonyms: erstwhile

   2. That is no longer in existence.

      The footpath follows the route of an old railway line.

   3. Obsolete; out-of-date.

      That is the old way of doing things; now we do it this way.

   4. Familiar.

      She always makes the same old excuses.

      2 more examples

      When he got drunk and quarrelsome they just gave him the old heave-ho.

      Adrian thought it worth while to try out his new slang. ‘I say, you fellows, here's a rum go. Old Biffo was jolly odd this morning. He gave me a lot of pi-jaw about slacking and then invited me to tea. No rotting! He did really.’

      1991, Stephen Fry, chapter III, in The Liar, London: William Heinemann, →ISBN, page 26

   5. UKBeing a graduate or alumnus of a school, especially a public school.
5. Tiresome after prolonged repetition.

   Your constant pestering is getting old.

   4 more examples

   Rik: But even great shtick can get old real fast: the dreaded Saturday Night Live syndrome. Jim: Randomness can help - many Living Books have characters that do different things each time you click on them.

   1995, MacUser, volume 11, MacUser Publications, page 147

   John and I built a small stone house on the head of “Bonetta” Canyon and had a hog killing time all by ourselves. Hunting was our delight at first, until it became old.

   2000, Charles A. Siringo, A Texas Cowboy: or, Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony, Penguin, →ISBN, page 100

   The songs start to get old real fast, and it's easy to get bored after the third song.

   2008, Homer L. Hall, Logan H. Aimone, High School Journalism, The Rosen Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 171

   It was the same old thing every week, working and drinking, working and drinking. It became old and I got really sick of it.

   2012, Blossom, From Under a Bridge Ii, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 40

6. Said of subdued colors, particularly reds, pinks and oranges, as if they had faded over time.

   Synonyms: antique

7. A grammatical intensifier, often used in describing something positive, and combined with another adjective.

   any old

   4 more examples

   We're having a good old time.

   My next car will be a big old SUV.

   My wife makes the best little old apple pie in Texas.

   Look at Murphy playing with newest old favorite toy; he loves it!

   Synonyms: ol'

8. informalIndicating affection and familiarity.

   Finally, when they were all done slobbering around, old Sally introduced us.

   1951 July 16, J[erome] D[avid] Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC, page 165

9. Designed for a mature audience; unsuitable for children below a certain age.

   Monsieur's story is too old for our Juvenile Magazine.

   1868, Oliver Optic's Magazine: Our Boys and Girls ..., page 431

   4 more examples

   The text is too old for toddlers, but the colorful photographs are large enough and appropriate for them.

   1998, Rita Schrank, Science, Math, and Nutrition for Toddlers: Setting the Stage for Serendipity

   Diane Ehrensaft (1997) finds that middle-class parents typically buy "older" toys for their children to encourage accelerated development.

   2006 January 9, Christine L. Williams, Inside Toyland: Working, Shopping, and Social Inequality, Univ of California Press, →ISBN, page 219

   If you feel you have to leave something out because it's too horrible, then either the story is too old for the child, or you fail to understand the way your child will accept the rough justice and feel inwardly content at the outcome.

   2019 12, Sean David Burke, Lighting the Literacy Fire, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 131

   Bluey: Oh! It's like checkers! Bandit: Yeah, but a lot harder than checkers. Chilli: And so probably a bit old for Bluey, right?

   2021, Joe Brumm, “Chest”, in Bluey, season 3, episode 11

10. obsoleteExcessive, abundant.

    URSULA: Madam, you must come to your uncle. Yonder's old coil at home: it is proved, my Lady Hero hath been falsely accused, the prince and Claudio mightily abused;

    1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]

plural olds · alternative colloquial ol · alternative colloquial ol' · alternative colloquial ole · alternative pronunciation spelling owld · alternative Geordie aad · alternative Ireland oul · alternative Ireland oul' · alternative Ireland ould · alternative archaic olde · alternative aud · alternative aul · alternative auld · alternative wold

1. countableinvariablepluralplural onlyuncountablePeople who are old; old beings; the older generation, taken as a group.

   A civilised society should always look after the old in the community.

2. countableslanguncountableA person older than oneself, especially an adult in relation to a teenager.

   I'm not letting an old wreck my good time today.

   2 more examples

   Near-synonyms: geezer, oldie, oldster; see also Thesaurus:old person

   I'm not letting any olds wreck my good time today.

   Synonyms: geezer, oldie, oldster, ager, antique, badge-cove, cheeser, coffin dodger

3. countableslanguncountablemost often pluralOne's parents.

   I had to sneak out to meet my girlfriend and tell the olds I was going to the library.

4. AustraliauncountableA typically dark-coloured lager brewed by the traditional top-fermentation method.

   We crossed to the pub on the corner of Carlisle Street and I ordered two schooners of old for him and one of light for me.

   2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 117

   Antonyms: new

1. abbreviationinitialismhuman sciencesInitialism of Oxford Latin Dictionary.

1. InternetabbreviationuncountableAbbreviation of online dating.
2. abbreviationuncountableAbbreviation of obsessive love disorder

plural Olds · alternative Olde · alternative Wold

1. countableuncountableA surname.
2. countableuncountableA village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire district, Northamptonshire, England, previously in Daventry district (OS grid ref SP7873).