old
adjective
uk
/əʊld/ us
/oʊld/old adjective (NOT YOUNG/NEW)
an old man
We're all getting older.
- oldHe was an old man.
- elderlyA large number of elderly people live alone.
- the elderlyMany among the elderly cannot afford to pay their electricity bills.
- agedHe has to look after his aged aunt.
- ageingUK The ageing chairman was forced to retire.
- A group of old men sat playing dominoes.
- Many buildings in the old part of the city are falling down, and the government has no money to repair them.
- As people get older, they often become set in their ways.
- It would be a sacrilege to put a neon sign on that beautiful old building.
- There's some wonderful calligraphy in these old manuscripts.
old adjective (WHAT AGE)
- An adult under British law is someone over 18 years old.
- Most children in the UK remain in full-time education until they are at least 16 years old.
- How old is his daughter?
- The trial was held in camera because the accused was only 14 years old.
- He asked me how old I was and, lying through my teeth, I said '29'.
old adjective (FROM THE PAST)
A2 [ before noun ]
from a period in the past:
In my old job I had less responsibility.
Synonym
- oldBe careful - that clock is very old.
- formerHe's a former coworker of mine.
- ancientWe need to protect ancient monuments.
- archaic"Thee" is an archaic word for "you".
- After six months of chopping and changing, we've decided to go back to our old system.
- Just by coincidence, I met my old school-mate again 50 years later.
- It will only complicate the situation if we invite his old girlfriend as well.
- The new Prime Minister is cultivating relationships with old Eastern Bloc countries.
- The new house is not dissimilar to our old one except that it's a bit bigger.
old adjective (LANGUAGE)
old adjective (VERY FAMILIAR)
She's one of my oldest friends - we met in kindergarten.
[ before noun ] informal
- all-night
- ancient
- be going strong idiom
- changeless
- dateless
- immemorially
- incorruptibility
- incorruptible
- incorruptibly
- languish
- man and boy idiom
- never-ending
- nondurable
- nondurable goods
- of old idiom
- time-consuming
- timeless
- timelessly
- timelessness
- unslaked
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
the old
- The old are particularly vulnerable to these fraudsters.
- These holidays are aimed at the old.
- The old tend to have a different perspective on war.