age1 nounage2 verb
ageage1 /eɪdʒ/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 
WORD ORIGINage1
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French aage, from Vulgar Latin aetaticum, from Latin aetas, from aevum ‘lifetime, age’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Anyone over the age of fourteen has to pay the full fare.
- Dewhurst died at the age of seventy-three.
- Experts have given different estimates of the age of the painting.
- Francis is the same age as I am.
- I'm surprised someone of your age didn't know that.
- I tried to guess her age but couldn't.
- In this age of the Internet, finding a job can be much easier.
- Jimmy's very tall for his age.
- Many consider the '30s and '40s to be the golden age of Hollywood movies.
- Newton lived in an age of exploration and discovery.
- She's in her seventies, but very fit for her age.
- The amount you pay for license tags and registration depends on the age of the vehicle.
- the architecture of the industrial age
- The average age of the students here is eighteen.
- the Ice Age
- The newspapers were brown with age.
- Their children's ages range from twelve to seventeen.
- These simple tools were used for hunting in the Stone Age.
- What's the minimum age for getting a driver's license?
- When I was your age I was already working.
- But research suggests there are now 17,000 people under the age of 65 with Alzheimer's in Britain.
- For example, under the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, age may be taken into account in certain circumstances.
- I am actually a mammoth, said Jay, only I survived all your ice ages.
- In many respects Bush is the most spun and spinning politician of the age.
- Nella was thirty-two, an age by which if a blonde woman's hair hasn't turned dark, it never will.
- One is 7, and one is my age.
- The television age has transformed the conventions into presentational exercises from which the unknown and unexpected are ruthlessly excised.
- This was far longer than the age of the earth as calculated by the creationists.
THESAURUSa period in history
a particular time in history, especially one studied as a subject: · the late Victorian period· the interwar period· During that period many people moved from the countryside to the towns.
a period of years, months, days etc: · The 1960s were a time of great social change.· the biggest earthquake in modern times· Verdun was an important city in Roman times.
a long period, especially one that represents a particular stage in the development of civilization or technology: · the industrial age· We are now in the age of the Internet.· the Stone Age (=when people used tools made of stone)
a long period that has a particular character or that is marked by particular events: · We live in an era of breathtaking change.· the post-war era· De Gaulle’s death marked the end of an era.
formal means the same as era, but sounds more formal and important: · We are now entering a new epoch in human history.· the colonial epoch· It was the end of an epoch.
Longman Language Activatorhow long someone has lived or something has existed the number of years that someone has lived or something has existed: the age of somebody/something: · The average age of the students here is eighteen.· The amount you pay for license tags and registration depends on the age of the vehicle.somebody's age: · I tried to guess her age but couldn't.· Their children's ages range from twelve to seventeen.be somebody's age (=be the same age as someone): · When I was your age I was already working.of my age/her age etc (=about the same age as me, her etc): · I'm surprised someone of your age didn't know that.at the age of 10/20 etc written (=use this to say how old someone was when something happened): · Dewhurst died at the age of seventy-three.over/under the age of (=older or younger than): · Anyone over the age of fourteen has to pay the full fare.be small/tall etc for your age (=be small, tall etc compared with other people of the same age): · Jimmy's very tall for his age.· She's in her seventies, but very fit for her age.
use this to ask or talk about the age of a person or thing: · How old is Paul?· I'm not sure how old the cat is -- three or four, I suppose.
ways of saying how old someone is · Julie's going to be thirty next month.· When I was eighteen, I thought I knew everything.· Luke is three and Marie is seven.
· Simone is nearly fifteen years old.· My sister got married when she was thirty-eight years old.
formal · He was tall, well-dressed and appeared to be about thirty-five years of age.· Elephants do not become sexually active until they are fifteen to eighteen years of age.
used especially in written descriptions: · The child, aged ten, was last seen in a park on Bishop Street.· A recent survey of youths aged thirteen to eighteen shows that twelve percent are smoking regularly. · Females aged eighteen to thirty-four have an increased risk of contracting the disease.
(=aged 5/10/35 etc) used especially in written descriptions: · His ninety-five-year-old great-grandfather still rides his bike every day.· She has to pick up her twelve-year-old son from school at 3:30.· Twenty-one-year-old Elizabeth Parker will be the soloist in tonight's concert.
use this especially to say what someone who is a particular age can do: · If a man of fifty-five loses his job, he'll never get another.· It's so simple, a child of four could use it.
use this to give a general idea of how old someone is: · He was tall, with brown hair and dark eyes - I'd say he was in his forties.early twenties/30s etc: · In my early twenties, I applied for my first job as a teacher.mid-twenties/30s etc: · She's retired, but she's only in her mid-50s.late twenties/30s etc: · A lot of women in their late twenties start thinking about having a family.
to have recently become 20, 30 etc: · McClelland recently turned forty.
informal between the ages of 20 and 29, 30 and 39 etc: · a forty-something couple from Orlando
ways of saying how old a building, car, machine etc is · Their home is over 100 years old.· The fossils are over 100 million years old.· The pyramids were already 2000 years old when the Greek historian Herodotus visited them.
used especially in written descriptions: · A 500-year-old church in Leipzig is being threatened with demolition.· a 1500-year-old Latin manuscript
to be the same age as someone or something else: be the same age · Cliff and Jeremy are the same age.be the same age as · Cleo is the same age as me.of the same age (=the same age as each other) · Blood samples were taken from a group of patients of the same age.
people who are the same age all the people in a society who are about the same age: somebody's generation: · People of his generation often have a hard time with computers.· Many people consider her among the best writers of her generation.generation-gap (=large differences in attitude between different generations): · There's still a pretty wide generation-gap in German society.
all the people who are between two particular ages, considered as a group: · Pregnant women in the 40-45 age group are more likely to suffer complications.· The vacations are designed for the 20-30 age group.
British a group of people, especially children or young people, who are all below a certain age - used especially in education or sport: · Sally teaches the under-5s.· He is one of the best of the under-18s in his football club.
British a group of people, but not usually children or young people, who are all above a certain age - used especially to talk about groups of middle-aged or old people: · Many agencies provide special vacations for the over-50s.· The tennis club has a section for the over-40s.
informal someone between the ages of 20 and 29, 30 and 39 etc: · Howard's book is an entertaining book filled with tips on money management for twenty- and 30-somethings.· The show is about a group of twenty-somethings living in New York City.
a group of people who are the same age, especially children or young people - use this to talk about how people of the same age influence and relate to each other: · By the age of about 10, children will be much more interested in the approval of their peer group than that of their parents or teachers.· She learned to read late, and by the age of 13 was way behind her peers in almost every aspect of school work.peer group pressure (=the strong influence of a peer group): · Kids should be taught to resist peer group pressure to become sexually active too early.
to become an adult · What do you want to be when you grow up?· We plan to go and live in Florida when the children have all grown up.
to become fully grown or developed: · Girls tend to mature more quickly than boys, both physically and emotionally.· The fly matures in only seven days.
to reach the age when you have the legal rights and responsibilities of an adult, usually 18 or 21 - used in legal contexts: · Emma will inherit a fortune when she comes of age.· They planned to marry as soon as she came of age.
a long time · It's good to see you again, Ben -- it's been a really long time.(for) a long time · He's lived here a long time.· The house has been empty for a long time.in a long time · I haven't heard from Chuck in a long time.· It's about the worst cold I've had in a long time.a long time ago · We met in August 1947, a long time ago.· I've been to California, but it was a very long time ago.a very long time/a long, long time · We've been friends for a very long time.· A long, long time ago, a king had three daughters.it's a long time since · It's a long time since I heard from Clive.take (somebody) a long time (to do something) · It's a big file, so it'll take a long time to print out.· It's taking you a long time to finish that assignment, isn't it?last a long time · That's a big notepad you have there, it should last a long time.
a fairly long time: for a while: · How's Lynne? I haven't seen her for a while.· So you guys were in Brazil for a while, huh?in a while: · I haven't worn that jacket in a while.after a while: · After a while, I realised he was serious.a while ago/back: · He fought for the title a while ago.· 'Is that a photo of him?' 'Yeah, that was taken a while back - his hair's longer now.' it's (been) a while since: · It's been a while since I read the book, and I can't remember much about it, to be honest.quite a while (=a long time): · He's been going out with her quite a while now, hasn't he?a long while: · I haven't played chess in a really long while.a little while: · Can I hold her for a little while?· A little while later, Rick returned with the drinks.take (somebody) a while: · It took me a while before I could understand him.· Your leg will take a while to get better, Mary.
a long time, or for a long time: · Have you been waiting long?· I won't be long.· It has long been recognized that a high fat diet can cause heart problems.long before/after: · Long after the war, the wreckage of his plane was discovered.· They ran out of things to talk about long before they arrived.· 75 percent of the battered women in our survey stayed with their husbands long after most people would have left. so long: · They've been together so long, I can't figure out why they don't get married.long ago: · I guess it didn't happen very long ago.take (somebody) so long: · I don't visit very often because it takes so long to get over there.· I'm sorry this is taking so long.
for a long time: · Have you been working here for long?· I hope his speech doesn't go on for long.· He'll have to stay in hospital, but not for long.for very long: · I haven't known them for very long.
many hours, months, or years, and a lot longer than you expected: · It was years before we found out the truth.· Sorry I'm late. Had to wait hours for a bus.· Justin spends hours and hours just playing this one game.for hours/months/years etc: · I must get the car serviced -- I've been putting it off for months.· Henry seemed to be on the phone for hours last night.months/years/hours etc ago: · I bought this pen years ago. Two pounds it cost me!· Rob went out hours ago, and he's not back yet.be weeks/months/hours etc since: · It's been years since I was there, the place must have changed.
for the whole of one day, the whole of one week etc: · It's been snowing almost all day long.· I've been thinking about you all night long.
especially British, spoken a very long time: (for) ages: · I've had that jar of coffee ages, you'd better throw it out.· Derek's been telling her for ages to get another job.it's ages since: · It's ages since we played this game - I'd forgotten how good you are.· It seems like ages since we saw Ron and Eileen. ages ago (=a long time ago): · "When did you sell the car?" "Ages ago!"· I emailed you ages ago -- hasn't it arrived? wait/spend ages: · I spent ages in town trying to find something to wear for the wedding.· We had to wait ages till the doctor could see us.ages and ages (=use this to emphasize how long something takes or lasts): · Oh come on, we haven't had chips for ages and ages.
spoken a very long time, or too long: · Let me see the map, or we'll be driving round here forever.· God's love endures forever.go on forever: · Well, I don't suppose the police will let the situation go on forever!· We had a game of Scrabble that seemed to go on forever.last forever: · You go into marriage thinking it's going to last forever.· These wool blankets pretty much last forever, don't they?forever and a day (=use this to emphasize that something continues for a very long time): · I'm staying here. If I go with you, it'll take forever and a day.
American spoken if you wait, walk, stand etc for the longest time , you do it for a very long time: · We sat in the bar drinking for the longest time.· For the longest time, we didn't even realize he was gone.
British informal a long time, used especially to say that something happened a very long time ago: for donkey's years: · She worked in the shop for donkey's years, although the pay was awful.donkey's years ago: · We used to play golf together, but that was donkey's years ago.donkey's years since: · It's donkey's years since I went to the movies.
for as long as people who are still alive can remember: · It was the hottest summer in living memory.· For the first time in living memory, old Jack had left the island.within living memory: · The site had only flooded once within living memory.
to become or start to look old · Aunt Bertha's getting old now, and she needs someone to take care of her.grow old gracefully (=accept old age easily) · She wanted to grow old gracefully, and retire to a cottage in the country.
if someone ages , they change so that they look older, because they have lived a long time or because they have suffered a lot over a particular period: · I couldn't believe how much she had aged.· She noticed for the first time how Frederick had aged.· Western men tend to age more quickly than Japanese men.
the process of becoming old: · Our society is full of negative attitudes towards ageing and old people.the ageing/aging process: · Some memory loss is a normal part of the aging process.premature ageing/aging (=ageing earlier than usual): · His hair was white and he showed other signs of premature ageing.
if someone shows their age , they look older, or they talk or behave in a way that makes other people realize they are old: · She's still very beautiful, but she's starting to show her age now.· This is probably showing my age, but I remember when popcorn cost 25 cents and came in those little white paper bags.
a period of time in history a particular period of time in history, especially a period that is studied as a historical subject: · Which period of history are you studying at the moment?· We will be examining some original documents from the period.the Roman/Tudor etc period: · Many of Britain's roads were built originally in the Roman period.· This chapter will focus primarily on the Neolithic period in Europe.
a period of time in history that is remembered because of important political, religious, or artistic events and achievements, that make it different from other periods: era in/of: · an exciting era in technological sophistication· We live in an era of breathtaking change.end of an era: · When Charles De Gaulle died, it seemed like the end of an era.a new era: · The treaty marks the dawn of a new era in East--West relations.the Roman/Christian/Stalin/McCarthy etc era: · archaeological remains dating from the late Roman era· During the McCarthy era, hundreds of innocent US citizens were persecuted for their beliefs.
a period of time in history that represents a particular stage in the development of civilization or machines and tools: age of: · Newton lived in an age of exploration and discovery.· In this age of the Internet, finding a job can be much easier.Stone Age/Nuclear Age etc: · These simple tools were used for hunting in the Stone Age.· the architecture of the industrial agegolden age (=the period considered to be the best, the most successful etc): · Many consider the '30s and '40s to be the golden age of Hollywood movies.
a long time · They've been married for 30 years - that's a long time.· It takes me a long time to really trust people.for a long time · The house has been empty for a long time.· Have you been waiting here for a long time?in a long time · It's the worst cold I've had in a long time.· I haven't worn this dress in such a long time.a long time ago · He died a long time ago.· The accident happened such a long time ago that I can't remember much about it.a very long time/a long, long time · I've had those books for a long, long time.· It's very well built and should last a very long time.
· It has long been recognized that a high-fat diet can cause heart problems.· She's convinced that Grandmother is not going to live long.· The journey took longer than I thought it would.long before/after (=a long time before/after) · Long after the war, the wreckage of his plane was discovered.· She was wearing fake fur long before it became fashionable.for long (=for a long time) · Have you been working here for long?· The phone rang for so long, I hung up in the end.long ago · I guess it didn't happen very long ago.take (somebody) so long · Why is it taking so long?· I bet it doesn't take your mom so long to make an apple pie.
continuing for the whole day, night, year etc -- use this especially to emphasize that it is a long time: · It's going to take us all night to finish marking these papers!· He's in London all week, and only comes home at the weekends.all day/week etc long: · I've been working all day long.· Susie, you must have been on the phone all night long!
many hours, weeks, or years -- use this to emphasize the length of time, or to say that it is much longer than you think it should be: · It's years since I rode a bike.· My wife had to wait months for a hospital appointment.for years/hours etc: · I lived there for years.in years/hours etc: · That's one of the best films I've seen in years.
especially British, spoken a very long time: · It seems like ages since we had a holiday.take (somebody) ages: · This software takes ages to load.· It took him ages to guess who it was in the photo.for ages: · I've been waiting here for ages.ages ago: · "When did you last see Barbara?" "Oh, ages ago."ages and ages (=use this to emphasize how long something takes or lasts): · It's the first time for ages and ages he's taken me out.
British informal a long time, use this especially to say that something happened a very long time ago: for donkey's years/ages: · Some of these medicines have been in the stockroom for donkey's years.· That's been going on for donkey's ages -- didn't you know?donkey's years/ages ago: · We used to play golf together, but that was donkey's years ago.
American a very long time: · It took me the longest time to figure out how to work the sunroof in this car.· For the longest time, I thought Nathan was Asian.
looking or behaving like a young person looking or behaving like a young person, even though you are no longer young: · At 61, she seems remarkably youthful.· Although middle-aged, he had a youthful appearance.· She still manages to bring a youthful enthusiasm and energy to her work.
to look younger than you really are: · Veronique looks very young for her age, and people often think that her daughter is her sister.
British someone who dresses in clothes that are only suitable for a much younger person in order to seem younger - use this to say that you think this makes them look silly or embarrassing: · Some people might think that she was 'mutton dressed as lamb', but tonight Moira really didn't care.
WORD SETSage, nounallied, adjectivebarbarian, nounbaroque, adjectivebarrow, nounbattlements, nounbestiary, nounbiography, nounBlack Death, the, bloodletting, nounchivalry, nouncircus, nounclassical, adjectivecolony, nounconquistador, noundolmen, noundominion, noundoublet, noundragoon, nounducking stool, noundunce's cap, nounEdwardian, adjectiveElizabethan, adjectiveepoch, nounera, nounfeudalism, nounforum, noungalleon, noungalley, noungenealogy, noungladiator, nounGraeco-, prefixGrecian, adjectiveGreco-, prefixHellene, nounHellenic, adjectiveherald, nounhighwayman, nounhistorian, nounhistoric, adjectivehistorical, adjectiveIce Age, nounindustrial archaeology, nounIndustrial Revolution, the, nouninterwar, adjectiveIron Curtain, the, Jacobite, nounlocal history, nounlord, nounmedieval, adjectiveMoorish, adjectiveNorman, adjectiveNorse, adjectivepage, nounpageant, nounpaladin, nounpalimpsest, nounpapyrus, nounparchment, nounpatrician, adjectivepennon, nounperiod piece, nounprehistoric, adjectiveprehistory, nounquarterstaff, nounredcoat, nounreeve, nounRegency, adjectiveRomano-, prefixromanticism, nountime capsule, nounTudor, adjectiveVictorian, adjectiveVictorian, nounWhig, nounzeitgeist, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meanings 1, 2 & 3ADJECTIVES/NOUN + age
single people in the 40–50 age bracket a book for children in the 12–14 age group The upper age limit for entrants was set at 25. the age-old problem of sexual discrimination young people in the 15–18 age range The age of the candidates ranged from 29 to 49 with an average age of 37. the golden age of radio The kids are at an impressionable age. Many wines improve with age (=get better as they get older). My grandmother lived to 85. She lived to the age of 79. Laura is very mature for her age. 36% of the population were of pensionable age. The shoes range in price from $25 to $100. Eat less and exercise more if you want to live to a ripe old age. She was put in charge at the ripe old age of twenty-nine. She’s below the statutory age for school attendance. Val is incredibly young for her age.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
(=the time when you are old)· the problems of old age
(=between about 40 and 60)· He was in late middle age.
(=a very old age)· My aunt died at a great age.· Kirby is not alone in wanting to run his own business at an advanced age.
(=used mainly about the time when people are teenagers)· 13 – 16 is often a difficult age.
· The risk of experiencing poverty is much greater for those over retirement age.
· Children should start doing homework as they approach high school age.
British English· The government is proposing to raise the minimum school-leaving age.
· In the US, the legal age for drinking alcohol is 21.
· 16 years is the minimum age to drive a car.
· plans to bring down the voting age from 18 to 16
· She was 28 – long past the usual marrying age.
phrases· She’d been playing the piano from a very early age.
· Kids can start learning a second language at a young age.
· He needs to find people his own age.
(=at the age when a woman can have children)· It is against the law to refuse to employ a woman of childbearing age because she may become pregnant.
· 55 percent of the people are of working age.
(=when you are legally allowed to marry or have sex)· At 15, the girl was under the age of consent.
age + NOUN· Men in the 50–65 age group are most at risk from heart disease.· The school takes in children from the seven to eleven age range.
· There’s no upper age limit for drivers.
· laws against age discrimination in the workplace
verbs· One in three children here die before they reach the age of 5.· The number of people living to to the age of 80 has doubled in the last fifty years.
(=at which something can be done)· The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18.
(=look or feel as old as you really are)· The singer is 46, but she doesn’t look her age at all.· I keep getting aches in my legs and I’m starting to feel my age.
(=behave in the way that a person of your age should behave)· It’s time he started acting his age.
(=ask or say how old you are)· It’s rude to ask a woman her age.
Meaning 5 (=one of the long periods of time, thousands of years ago, when ice covered many northern countries)
(=the very early time in human history, when only stone was used for making tools, weapons etc)
(=the period of time, between about 6,000 and 4,000 years ago, when bronze was used for making tools, weapons etc)
(=the period of time, about 3,000 years ago, when iron was first used for making tools, weapons etc)
(=the period in European history between about 1100 and 1500 AD)
(=the period in European history from 476 AD to about 1000 AD)
(=the period 1558–1603 when Elizabeth I was queen of England)
(=the period 1837–1901 when Victoria was queen of England)
(=the time during the late 18th and early 19th centuries when goods or substances such as coal and steel were first produced in large quantities using machines)
(=from the 20th century until the present)· the technical and scientific achievements that ushered in the modern age
(=since vehicles were able to travel in space)
(=since nuclear energy was used for weapons or energy)
(=since computers became widely used)· the modern computer age
(=since the Internet has become widely used)· Business has had to evolve in the information age.
(=a time of great happiness or success)· a television show from the golden age of British comedy
(=a time when things are better than they were in the past)· Supporters see the coming season as the dawning of a new age for the club.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=used to tell someone to behave in a more adult way, suitable for someone of their age)
single people in the 40–50 age bracket a book for children in the 12–14 age group The upper age limit for entrants was set at 25. British English age-old customs
age-old customs the age-old problem of sexual discrimination young people in the 15–18 age range The age of the candidates ranged from 29 to 49 with an average age of 37. (=the age at which someone can legally marry or have sex)· She was fifteen, under the age of consent, when she became pregnant.
· A young couple with a baby have just moved into the house next door.
· Here on the island, many of the old customs have survived.
· Her father died aged 84.
· Age discrimination disadvantages older workers.
(=a difference in age between two people)· Despite the age gap, they became good friends.
the golden age of radio· Older people are being affected by the economic downturn more than other age groups.
The kids are at an impressionable age. Many wines improve with age (=get better as they get older).· The lower age limit for entering the Royal Marines is sixteen.
My grandmother lived to 85. She lived to the age of 79. Laura is very mature for her age. (=around age 40)· Two women in early middle age sat next to him.
(=around age 60)· a well-dressed man in late middle age
(=be almost middle-aged)· a stocky, balding man who was approaching middle age
(=be middle-aged)· You need to start saving for retirement before you reach middle age.
(=be obviously middle-aged, probably at least 50)· Most of the people there were well into middle age.
(=now, rather than in the past)· In the modern age, television is the main means of mass communication.
· State old age pensions were introduced in 1908.
(=the age when you can get a pension)· Most men stayed in their jobs until pension age.
36% of the population were of pensionable age. (=gradually becoming older on average)· The rapidly ageing population will put a strain on the country's health care system.
The shoes range in price from $25 to $100.· The payments will be made until the child reaches college age.
· Employers can no longer place age restrictions on applicants.
· Sixty-five was the normal retirement age for men.
Eat less and exercise more if you want to live to a ripe old age. She was put in charge at the ripe old age of twenty-nine. She’s below the statutory age for school attendance. informal It took me ages to find a present for Dad.
It took me ages to find a present for Dad. (=be too young to legally drink, have sex etc)
informal esp BrE (=wait a long time)· I had to wait ages for a bus.
Val is incredibly young for her age.· The average age in the new chamber will be 15 years younger than in the outgoing body, with many fewer clerics.· That seemed odd in a city where the average age in 1990 was about 32.· The average age of the senators is just under 70.· The average age at which women marry rose from 24. 7 in 1975 to 26. 2 in 1994.· For many staff, whose average age is below 30, the slump is a new experience.· The average age of entering students was fourteen, and the usual level of preparation was correspondingly low.· Their average age was about twenty-five.· The average age of nurses is now over 45.
· No more Tube, no more of your favourite bands on the telly, another dark age as regards the media.· But now a dark age was about to begin.· The dark ages to come will endure not twelve, but thirty thousand years.· The wood was faded and weather-worn, the thatch still thick but dark with age.· We must recover that dark age if we wish to understand our archaic fears and to rationalize them.· The stones of the church are dark with age and the roof has long since gone.· Different to Lefortovo, back in the dark ages from the second floor of the hospital block at Vladimir.
· It was a little different from the age I had given to my employers!· The research shows that kids are uniquely vulnerable at different ages.· Although I am 40 and from a different age group, I actually enjoy his company in the dressing room.· If one is to study the aging process, one would presumably want to examine persons from different age groupings.· Similarly, increased odds ratios were found for different age strata.· The worry is different ages and different needs won't mix.· But as parents, we should 233 smile to ourselves when children of different ages play together.
· Women learn at an early age that most men do not like angry women living in the same house.· Beginning at an early age, children need to begin to move tO independence.· Mentally handicapped children should be given the opportunity of mixing with other children from an early age.· With the need for international cooperation more urgent than ever, there were still as many frontiers as in any earlier age.· Did you start painting at an early age?· He must have had immense courage because so much was required of him at such an early age.· I have strong memories of feeling different from a very early age.· Both Maddy and Patrick were professionally successful at an early age, secure, and surrounded by helpful family.
· In some ways it was a golden age.· Instead of realizing that neo-realism was a beginning, they assumed it was an end, a golden age.· A golden age, they said.· An article by Mitchell about the golden age of criticism.· He argues that, just as Antwerp's golden age depended on openness, so will its future.· Others see a new golden age of business and technology that will lift the market to unimagined heights.· Athens is in the middle of her golden age.· She asked us to go back to the golden age of Callaghan.
· He also had a disinterested fascination with the records of the middle ages, especially those of the west country.· Most seemed to be in caustic middle age, faces blank or scowling.· In middle age he was offered a job with the management of the factory and he took it.· She was twenty-three and simply too young to comprehend the feelings of middle age - let alone those of a middle-aged Prince.· But in terms of years of potential life lost, the biggest killer is lung cancer, which usually strikes in middle age.· For them new chances opened up in late middle age as their children left home.· For those men and women who live into middle age, pain, disease and poverty are the norm rather than the exception.
· Loan secured by endowment mortgage, minimum age 20 years.· Here Congress has offered relatively mild encouragement to the States to enact higher minimum drinking ages than they would otherwise choose.· The course is open to people of all nationalities and religious affiliations, and the minimum age is 15 years.· The nationwide minimum age of 18 to buy cigarettes and chewing tobacco remains in force.· Another 21 of the 38 death-penalty states either have a minimum age of 16 or no minimum.· Notes Minimum age 15 years unless on a Youth Training Scheme.· More children than before are now acquiring a formal education beyond the minimum school-leaving age.
· The percentage of the older age groups who are female has increased since the beginning of this century.· So it seemed Meurent lived to a ripe old age.· He had impeccable manners that somehow always reminded you of an older, bygone age.· The force of the principle of yang predominates in youth; that of yin, later, and increasingly in old age.· Rhythms in old age With increasing age, our daily rhythms begin to change.· Meat did not have a place in the diet, except in old age.· In our old age we have found a more or less peaceful form of co-existence.· Charles Booth argued, probably correctly, that old age pensions would encourage children to take in elderly parents.
· The threshold for childless couples under pensionable age was 57 percent above income support levels.· To qualify for the higher limit, disablement must occur before reaching pensionable age.· All people of pensionable age have a right, under the Supplementary Benefits Act 1966, to a guaranteed income.· By the 1890s civil servants had become obliged to retire on reaching pensionable age.· It applies only to those reaching pensionable age since April 1978 and will not reach full maturity until 1998.· The number of those over pensionable age will be far higher in the next century than it is today.· Raising the pensionable age, however, was not enough to meet the Treasury's requirements.· In 1963 my father died at the age of sixty-one, four years short of his pensionable age.
· Dealing with drivers at this tender age obviously sparked an interest in transport which has developed over the years.· At my tender age, I could only look on.· Alongside me was Sam Ratcliffe who, at the tender age of sixteen, had already had quite a bit of publicity.· Tennis players start at a more tender age these days.· He knows how it feels to lose a father at a tender age.· And it has just happened to Kate Moss at the tender age of 18.
· Consequently, he learned to be self-sufficient at a young age.· It appears that for acute health problems older people are little different, in terms of prevalence, from younger age groups.· While the city is relatively young, age alone provides insufficient explanation.· Subjects - Young people below age 25.· Other justices seemed concerned with the young age of the grade-school children involved.· If the training starts at a young enough age, when the animal is still a puppy, it all comes naturally.· They left me in no doubt that spiritually they had evolved much beyond their young ages.
NOUN· Arbitrary age discrimination can affect everyone.· Age discrimination and fears of age discrimination are alive and well in the workplace.· There is also evidence that the economic effects of age discrimination are harsher in Britain than other comparable countries.· There is lots of age discrimination in the world of jobs.· In fact, considerable evidence is available which shows that older works face age discrimination in the labour market.· So how did Mrs Price win her case when she was alleging age discrimination.· The city dropped the age limitation just before a law enforcement exemption to federal age discrimination laws expired in 1993.
· The grade differences in sickness absence were present in all age groups.· We now know the suicides were evenly male and female and from all age groups.· These trends for a reduction in length of stay are not unique to the older age groups.· I was telling my own age group about something worthwhile: bird life and conservation.· In 1981 there were marked differences in the marital status of men and women in the older age groups.· Population data For the calculation of incidences we needed population estimates for five year age groups for each of the years 1963-90.· Fitted bedroom furniture is particularly popular around the 35 years of age group.· Changes in mortality have influenced the marital status composition of the older age groups in Britain over the last century.
· Over the last 1.5 million years, our planet has been in the grip of an ice age.· At that time, an ice age was ending, game animals were flourishing, and humans were relatively few.· It is not hard to see how these two phenomena might, as it were, assist an ice age on its way.· An ice age begins slowly, almost imperceptibly, when the average temperature drops by a few degrees.· But ice ages or no, millions of years of erosion will slowly flatten the planetary mineral heaps we call mountains.· Only after the last ice age did modern civilization, such as it is, evolve.· I am actually a mammoth, said Jay, only I survived all your ice ages.· Some are warm and hospitable, while others can be nothing short of an ice age.
· At the moment we have under-17s, under-19s and then no age limit.· And so can the age limits.· Val was thirty-eight, and was glad that there was no age limit on the entry for the course.· The previous age limits had stood at 35 for men and 30 for women.· And as time goes by, your staff will likely decrease, for the age limits of call-up will rise.· So let's bring in an under-21 age limit and not discard our youngsters too early.· Job-seekers over those age limits suddenly found they had no hope of getting a civil service job.
· Partly as a result of all these changes, the government has announced its intention to equalise the State pension age.· Successive governments, however, have made it clear that any alteration of the state pension ages is unlikely.· Initially the flow out of the labour force and into retirement was concentrated among men within three years of pension age.· Across occupations, pension ages vary arbitrarily and do not show any systematic relationship to individual skills or preferences.· The consequences of an inflexible retirement age fell particularly hard on women as they have a lower pension age.· In 1987, 2.2 million people over pension age are estimated to have had incomes below the level of Income Support.· For example, 20 percent of disabled people over pension age say household cleaning is a particular problem.· The government is to review the state pension age, but there is no one solution that is obviously favoured.
· The differences were also evident in the age range of primary school pupils.· Internally the school is organized into separate departments, primary and secondary, which between them cover the entire school age range.· She complained to an industrial tribunal alleging discrimination on the basis of the age range specified and she was successful.· The age range is usually 15-44 years, and the woman may have suffered a recent miscarriage or discovered she is infertile.· It contains a number of detailed examples of such work throughout the primary age range.· Defining rigorously what constitutes a clinically significant depressive illness is problematic, regardless of the age range under consideration.· He caters for the full ability and age range.
· In less than a year I would reach retirement age and I had nothing to fall back on.· Both also were of retirement age.· Superintendent Warleigh was not far off retirement age.· After twenty years, he reached retirement age, left his job, and began spending every moment on the case.· The deal struck has been to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, starting early in the next century.· The 57-year old executive had said he would resign before the usual retirement age of 60.· We were in an impossible situation; whatever retirement age was chosen, some one would be upset.· But on Tuesday, Kelleher will turn 65, retirement age for most people.
· The order will terminate when the child ceases to be of compulsory school age or if a care order is made.· Constable McLennan stated that children of primary school age were allowed to cycle on the pavement.· Children of primary school age seem to make only limited use of Creole.· Most of these constant offenders started down the path of crime while still of school age.· A member from the panel of parents of school age will be required to attend each of the meetings.· Approximately 20 percent of elementary school age children were attending 2,000 ordinary schools by 1933.· We must also seize the opportunity presented by the considerable increase in numbers of children, particularly those of school age.· Fortunately, too, he had at least one dauntless and resourceful boy of school age to assist.
VERB· Simms was married, with a son and four daughters, all of whom died before the age of ten.· Battles over the monetary and literary estate of the Fresno author began as soon as he died of cancer at age 72.· He died at the age of 69 of an unrelated squamous cell carcinoma of the bronchus.· The third plaintiff, Angie Della Vecchia, died last year at age 53.· In many Third World countries as many as three out of five children die before the age of five.· John-Francis worked intensely with the neglected until, suffering from exhaustion, he died at the age of thirty-three.· They had two sons, the elder of whom died at the age of nineteen, and two daughters.· He died in 1891 at age fifty-three.
· Yet the young are living in an age which over the past year has become dramatically uncertain.· She was born there, she lived there until age 21, and she has made nine documentary films about the country.· She wanted to live with the foster parents she lived with at the age of two.· We live in an age of niche markets, in which customers have become accustomed to high quality and extensive choice.· One important reason for optimism is that we now live in a disinflationary age.· We live in an age of possibility.· Surely, a full life even for some one who lived to the advance age of 92.· You lived to an old age, people trusted you, but you had no children and no spouse.
· To qualify for the higher limit, disablement must occur before reaching pensionable age.· Originally they remained priestesses for only five years: that is, until they reached marriageable age.· Retirement relief could not be claimed on disposals before 6 April 1985 unless the individual concerned had reached the age of 60.· The Crown Prince had reached early middle age without marrying.· Should I give up the unequal struggle and wait until I reached the age of 16?· I hate the way old actresses are literally thrown out to sea when they reach a certain age.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► agesPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► the age of consent
1how old [countable, uncountable] the number of years someone has lived or something has existed: - Emma will inherit a fortune when she comes of age.
- In the 1940s, movies really came of age as a creative art form.
- Mozart's music came of age when the baroque style was at its height.
- They planned to marry as soon as she came of age.
- Britain's adopted children had come of age.
- Could 1992 be the year when the environmental revolution really comes of age?
- Duroc had had to come of age and replace the older Duroc in the service of Nguyen Seth.
- His leap from collector to seller may be the surest sign yet that road-map collecting has come of age.
- However, you will come of age in two months.
- It must be child development with this goal: that every child be ready for school when that child comes of age.
- Morris came of age in the 1850s.
- As you probably know, Herr Sanders is a gentleman of advanced years, inclined to be a little vague.
- At the advanced age of 71, Charles Bronson's wizened features are returning to the big screen.
- Male speaker Inevitably at her advanced years, it's difficult for her to overcome.
- On my advanced age, I dote.
- She addressed her young guest with civilities suitable for a personage of advanced years and uncertain appetite.
- Towards the rector he was a polite listener, a concession to the man's advanced years and his calling.
- When talking about the elderly in this sense we are referring to people in an advanced age group of well over eighty.
- Chances of developing cancer increase with advancing age.
- At your age, advancing years and all that.
- Joshua hoped that Malone had learnt wisdom with his advancing years.
- Of course, I was only displaying the ultimately cliched boomer trait, a tortured denial of my own advancing years.
- On her deathbed Mary Leapor reportedly expressed concern for her father's advancing age.
- Reasons put forth include his advancing age, the cumulative effect of thousands of hits and the decline of his offensive line.
- The association between advancing years and increasing rates of disability is illustrated in Figure 7.
- The risk of incapacitation increases with advancing years, and increases more rapidly after the age of 55.
- There are clear associations between advancing years and increasing disability, and this is particularly steep among the most elderly.
- Dataquest said only 12 percent in this income bracket owned computers.
- In addition they estimated the implied income tax brackets associated with each dividend payout level.
- It's all to do with the £19,250 tax bracket and engines below 2 litres.
- Jack Kemp would have to recommend that tax brackets be compressed to as low as 10 percent to dull their allure.
- Name the ethnicity, tax bracket or wardrobe, and they were there in full force.
- The key is, does your tax bracket justify buying munis?
- Together, that amounts to an annual tax saving of up to £1,000, compared to cars in a higher tax bracket.
- Why should you and I be in the same tax bracket as Steve Forbes?
- Bundles of papers and piles of books guarded secrets from a bygone age.
- He had impeccable manners that somehow always reminded you of an older, bygone age.
- In bygone days the Arms Park had an almost mystical quality for them.
- In bygone days, both railroad and stagecoach deposited visitors in nearby Point Reyes Station.
- Miss Piggy, Kermit and the rest now come across as symbols of a bygone era.
- One of the first examples of a curvilinear glasshouse, it stands as a reminder of bygone eras in Belfast's history.
- Since the reprise of coach John Robinson, who brought national championships in a different, bygone era.
- They appear now to be products of a bygone age.
- Four hundred million women of childbearing age weigh less than 45 kilograms-their malnutrition is passed on to their infants.
- Carrow also suggests that, for children scoring below their chronological age equivalent, the separate subtests can provide useful qualitative information.
- If so, chronological age might influence treatment policy.
- Test scores can be compared directly with the scores obtained by normal children of the same chronological age.
- The same ranging of, or variability in, Piagetian developmental levels is found at any chronological age group.
- There has never been a time more conscious of chronological age than our own.
- Britain's adopted children had come of age.
- Could 1992 be the year when the environmental revolution really comes of age?
- Duroc had had to come of age and replace the older Duroc in the service of Nguyen Seth.
- His leap from collector to seller may be the surest sign yet that road-map collecting has come of age.
- However, you will come of age in two months.
- It must be child development with this goal: that every child be ready for school when that child comes of age.
- Morris came of age in the 1850s.
- Both Maddy and Patrick were professionally successful at an early age, secure, and surrounded by helpful family.
- But what about alteration of brain chemistry at an early age?
- Did you start painting at an early age?
- I worry about cholesterol, because my father died of a heart attack at an early age.
- If you get to know about these things at an early age you lose your shame and shyness.
- Robin adds that as a boy he saw both the Graf Zeppelin and R-101, obviously an enthusiast from an early age.
- Spong does not advocate marriage at an early age.
- Women learn at an early age that most men do not like angry women living in the same house.
- You really start to feel you age when you spend time around these kids.
- By not feeling my age and by having energy and vigour.
- However, she was beginning to feel her age and could not face an argument until it was unavoidable.
- Make me feel my age, tell you the truth!
- Other times you don't feel your age at all.
- The journey was the longest he had ridden for several years and he was feeling his age.
- Treat your skin to Empathy and it will never feel its age.
- Unfortunately, this is just at the time when a woman is starting to feel her age, so is especially vulnerable.
- But even at the grand old age of 28, he was keen to give it a go.
- In 1989 the Society reached the grand old age of 100 years.
- The house, despite its grand old age, is welcoming and comfortable.
- At 40, you developed something flabby, disgusting and unavoidable called middle-aged spread and your waist disappeared along with your energy.
- Angie was the orchestra's soloist at the ripe old age of 22.
- Da Ponte lived to the ripe old age of 89.
- At the ripe old age of 28 he says he can no longer bear the rigours of the game.
- Ex-wife Alana demonstrates that she's still out in front in the glamour stakes at the ripe old age of 43.
- Inpart this reflects increasing expenditure on state pensions as more and more people live to a ripe old age.
- It was not until they levelled out that she thought again about the possibility of living to a ripe old age.
- Or I could make serious, long-term changes and hope to live to a ripe old age.
- So it seemed Meurent lived to a ripe old age.
- There's no escape from that if you want to live to a ripe old age.
- Tom had not reached the ripe old age of twenty-nine without discovering quite a few of them.
- Alongside me was Sam Ratcliffe who, at the tender age of sixteen, had already had quite a bit of publicity.
- And it has just happened to Kate Moss at the tender age of 18.
- At my tender age, I could only look on.
- Dealing with drivers at this tender age obviously sparked an interest in transport which has developed over the years.
- He knows how it feels to lose a father at a tender age.
- Tennis players start at a more tender age these days.
- But it could be several weeks yet before these children know the fate of their school.
- I know it will not be for some months yet, but time passes quickly.
- Indeed, it may beaver for many months yet.
- It was to last for some months yet.
- It will probably be some months yet before we get the final government reaction to our proposals.
- Sometimes they took little dancing steps, as their blood responded to rhythms that their descendants would not create for ages yet.
Francis is the same age as me. Experts disagree over the age of the drawings. Dad retired at the age of 56.at age 5/18 etc In Britain, schooling starts at age 5.4/15 etc years of age (=4, 15 etc years old) She was just over 16 years of age.at my/your etc age (=when you are as old as me etc) At my age, it’s quite difficult getting up the stairs.over/under the age of 5/18 etc people over the age of 65for his/her etc age (=compared with other people of the same age) She’s tall for her age, isn’t she?RegisterIn everyday English, people usually use the expression how old …? rather than using the noun age: What age is your brother? ➔ How old is your brother? | They asked me my age. ➔ They asked me how old I was.2legal age [uncountable] the age when you are legally old enough to do something: What’s the minimum age for getting a driver’s license? You’re not allowed to buy alcohol. You’re under age (=too young by law). The normal retirement age is 65.3period of life [countable, uncountable] one of the particular periods of someone’s life: When you get to old age, everything seems to take longer. The early teens are often a difficult age.4being old [uncountable] the state of being oldwith age High blood pressure increases with age. Some of the furniture was showing signs of age.5period of history [countable usually singular] a particular period of history SYN era: We are living in the age of technology. Molecular biology is pushing medicine into a new age. → in this day and age at day(6)► see thesaurus at period6ages [plural] (also an age) especially British English informal a long time:
Simon! I haven’t seen you for ages. That recipe takes ages.it’s ages since/before/until etc something It’s ages since we’ve played that game.7come of age a)to reach the age when you are legally considered to be a responsible adult b)if something comes of age, it reaches a stage of development at which people accept it as being important, valuable etc: During this period the movies really came of age as an art form. → New Age1, New Age2COLLOCATIONS– Meanings 1, 2 & 3ADJECTIVES/NOUN + ageold age (=the time when you are old)· the problems of old agemiddle age (=between about 40 and 60)· He was in late middle age.a great/advanced age (=a very old age)· My aunt died at a great age.· Kirby is not alone in wanting to run his own business at an advanced age.a difficult/awkward age (=used mainly about the time when people are teenagers)· 13 – 16 is often a difficult age.retirement age· The risk of experiencing poverty is much greater for those over retirement age.school age· Children should start doing homework as they approach high school age.school-leaving age British English· The government is proposing to raise the minimum school-leaving age.the legal age· In the US, the legal age for drinking alcohol is 21.the minimum age· 16 years is the minimum age to drive a car.the voting age· plans to bring down the voting age from 18 to 16the marrying age· She was 28 – long past the usual marrying age.phrasesfrom an early/young age· She’d been playing the piano from a very early age.at an early/young age· Kids can start learning a second language at a young age.somebody (of) your own age· He needs to find people his own age.of childbearing age (=at the age when a woman can have children)· It is against the law to refuse to employ a woman of childbearing age because she may become pregnant.of working age· 55 percent of the people are of working age.the age of consent (=when you are legally allowed to marry or have sex)· At 15, the girl was under the age of consent.age + NOUNan age group/bracket/range· Men in the 50–65 age group are most at risk from heart disease.· The school takes in children from the seven to eleven age range.an age limit· There’s no upper age limit for drivers.age discrimination· laws against age discrimination in the workplaceverbsget to/reach/live to a particular age· One in three children here die before they reach the age of 5.· The number of people living to to the age of 80 has doubled in the last fifty years.lower/raise the age (=at which something can be done)· The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18.look/feel your age (=look or feel as old as you really are)· The singer is 46, but she doesn’t look her age at all.· I keep getting aches in my legs and I’m starting to feel my age.act your age (=behave in the way that a person of your age should behave)· It’s time he started acting his age.ask/say your age (=ask or say how old you are)· It’s rude to ask a woman her age.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 5the Ice Age (=one of the long periods of time, thousands of years ago, when ice covered many northern countries)the Stone Age (=the very early time in human history, when only stone was used for making tools, weapons etc)the Bronze Age (=the period of time, between about 6,000 and 4,000 years ago, when bronze was used for making tools, weapons etc)the Iron Age (=the period of time, about 3,000 years ago, when iron was first used for making tools, weapons etc)the Middle Ages (=the period in European history between about 1100 and 1500 AD)the Dark Ages (=the period in European history from 476 AD to about 1000 AD)the Elizabethan age (=the period 1558–1603 when Elizabeth I was queen of England)the Victorian age (=the period 1837–1901 when Victoria was queen of England)the industrial age (=the time during the late 18th and early 19th centuries when goods or substances such as coal and steel were first produced in large quantities using machines)the modern age (=from the 20th century until the present)· the technical and scientific achievements that ushered in the modern agethe space age (=since vehicles were able to travel in space)the nuclear age (=since nuclear energy was used for weapons or energy)the computer age (=since computers became widely used)· the modern computer agethe information age (=since the Internet has become widely used)· Business has had to evolve in the information age.a golden age (=a time of great happiness or success)· a television show from the golden age of British comedya new age (=a time when things are better than they were in the past)· Supporters see the coming season as the dawning of a new age for the club.age1 nounage2 verb
ageage2 ●●○ verb (present participle aging or ageing British English) VERB TABLE
age
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | age |
| he, she, it | ages | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | aged |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have aged |
| he, she, it | has aged | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had aged |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will age |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have aged |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am ageing, aging |
| he, she, it | is ageing, aging | |
| you, we, they | are ageing, aging | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was ageing, aging |
| you, we, they | were ageing, aging | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been ageing, aging |
| he, she, it | has been ageing, aging | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been ageing, aging |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be ageing, aging |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been ageing, aging |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- After his wife's death, Wilfred seemed to age quickly.
- I couldn't believe how much she had aged.
- She noticed for the first time how Frederick had aged.
- The scotch is aged for ten years in oak barrels.
- Western men tend to age more quickly than Japanese men.
Longman Language Activatorhow long someone has lived or something has existed
the number of years that someone has lived or something has existed: the age of somebody/something: · The average age of the students here is eighteen.· The amount you pay for license tags and registration depends on the age of the vehicle.somebody's age: · I tried to guess her age but couldn't.· Their children's ages range from twelve to seventeen.be somebody's age (=be the same age as someone): · When I was your age I was already working.of my age/her age etc (=about the same age as me, her etc): · I'm surprised someone of your age didn't know that.at the age of 10/20 etc written (=use this to say how old someone was when something happened): · Dewhurst died at the age of seventy-three.over/under the age of (=older or younger than): · Anyone over the age of fourteen has to pay the full fare.be small/tall etc for your age (=be small, tall etc compared with other people of the same age): · Jimmy's very tall for his age.· She's in her seventies, but very fit for her age.
use this to ask or talk about the age of a person or thing: · How old is Paul?· I'm not sure how old the cat is -- three or four, I suppose.
ways of saying how old someone is · Julie's going to be thirty next month.· When I was eighteen, I thought I knew everything.· Luke is three and Marie is seven.
· Simone is nearly fifteen years old.· My sister got married when she was thirty-eight years old.
formal · He was tall, well-dressed and appeared to be about thirty-five years of age.· Elephants do not become sexually active until they are fifteen to eighteen years of age.
used especially in written descriptions: · The child, aged ten, was last seen in a park on Bishop Street.· A recent survey of youths aged thirteen to eighteen shows that twelve percent are smoking regularly. · Females aged eighteen to thirty-four have an increased risk of contracting the disease.
(=aged 5/10/35 etc) used especially in written descriptions: · His ninety-five-year-old great-grandfather still rides his bike every day.· She has to pick up her twelve-year-old son from school at 3:30.· Twenty-one-year-old Elizabeth Parker will be the soloist in tonight's concert.
use this especially to say what someone who is a particular age can do: · If a man of fifty-five loses his job, he'll never get another.· It's so simple, a child of four could use it.
use this to give a general idea of how old someone is: · He was tall, with brown hair and dark eyes - I'd say he was in his forties.early twenties/30s etc: · In my early twenties, I applied for my first job as a teacher.mid-twenties/30s etc: · She's retired, but she's only in her mid-50s.late twenties/30s etc: · A lot of women in their late twenties start thinking about having a family.
to have recently become 20, 30 etc: · McClelland recently turned forty.
informal between the ages of 20 and 29, 30 and 39 etc: · a forty-something couple from Orlando
ways of saying how old a building, car, machine etc is · Their home is over 100 years old.· The fossils are over 100 million years old.· The pyramids were already 2000 years old when the Greek historian Herodotus visited them.
used especially in written descriptions: · A 500-year-old church in Leipzig is being threatened with demolition.· a 1500-year-old Latin manuscript
to be the same age as someone or something else: be the same age · Cliff and Jeremy are the same age.be the same age as · Cleo is the same age as me.of the same age (=the same age as each other) · Blood samples were taken from a group of patients of the same age.
people who are the same age all the people in a society who are about the same age: somebody's generation: · People of his generation often have a hard time with computers.· Many people consider her among the best writers of her generation.generation-gap (=large differences in attitude between different generations): · There's still a pretty wide generation-gap in German society.
all the people who are between two particular ages, considered as a group: · Pregnant women in the 40-45 age group are more likely to suffer complications.· The vacations are designed for the 20-30 age group.
British a group of people, especially children or young people, who are all below a certain age - used especially in education or sport: · Sally teaches the under-5s.· He is one of the best of the under-18s in his football club.
British a group of people, but not usually children or young people, who are all above a certain age - used especially to talk about groups of middle-aged or old people: · Many agencies provide special vacations for the over-50s.· The tennis club has a section for the over-40s.
informal someone between the ages of 20 and 29, 30 and 39 etc: · Howard's book is an entertaining book filled with tips on money management for twenty- and 30-somethings.· The show is about a group of twenty-somethings living in New York City.
a group of people who are the same age, especially children or young people - use this to talk about how people of the same age influence and relate to each other: · By the age of about 10, children will be much more interested in the approval of their peer group than that of their parents or teachers.· She learned to read late, and by the age of 13 was way behind her peers in almost every aspect of school work.peer group pressure (=the strong influence of a peer group): · Kids should be taught to resist peer group pressure to become sexually active too early.
to become or start to look old · Aunt Bertha's getting old now, and she needs someone to take care of her.grow old gracefully (=accept old age easily) · She wanted to grow old gracefully, and retire to a cottage in the country.
if someone ages , they change so that they look older, because they have lived a long time or because they have suffered a lot over a particular period: · I couldn't believe how much she had aged.· She noticed for the first time how Frederick had aged.· Western men tend to age more quickly than Japanese men.
the process of becoming old: · Our society is full of negative attitudes towards ageing and old people.the ageing/aging process: · Some memory loss is a normal part of the aging process.premature ageing/aging (=ageing earlier than usual): · His hair was white and he showed other signs of premature ageing.
if someone shows their age , they look older, or they talk or behave in a way that makes other people realize they are old: · She's still very beautiful, but she's starting to show her age now.· This is probably showing my age, but I remember when popcorn cost 25 cents and came in those little white paper bags.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES single people in the 40–50 age bracket a book for children in the 12–14 age group The upper age limit for entrants was set at 25. the age-old problem of sexual discrimination young people in the 15–18 age range The age of the candidates ranged from 29 to 49 with an average age of 37. the golden age of radio The kids are at an impressionable age. Many wines improve with age (=get better as they get older). My grandmother lived to 85. She lived to the age of 79. Laura is very mature for her age. 36% of the population were of pensionable age. The shoes range in price from $25 to $100. Eat less and exercise more if you want to live to a ripe old age. She was put in charge at the ripe old age of twenty-nine. She’s below the statutory age for school attendance. Val is incredibly young for her age.
(=used to tell someone to behave in a more adult way, suitable for someone of their age)
single people in the 40–50 age bracket a book for children in the 12–14 age group The upper age limit for entrants was set at 25. British English age-old customs
age-old customs the age-old problem of sexual discrimination young people in the 15–18 age range The age of the candidates ranged from 29 to 49 with an average age of 37. (=the age at which someone can legally marry or have sex)· She was fifteen, under the age of consent, when she became pregnant.
· A young couple with a baby have just moved into the house next door.
· Here on the island, many of the old customs have survived.
· Her father died aged 84.
· Age discrimination disadvantages older workers.
(=a difference in age between two people)· Despite the age gap, they became good friends.
the golden age of radio· Older people are being affected by the economic downturn more than other age groups.
The kids are at an impressionable age. Many wines improve with age (=get better as they get older).· The lower age limit for entering the Royal Marines is sixteen.
My grandmother lived to 85. She lived to the age of 79. Laura is very mature for her age. (=around age 40)· Two women in early middle age sat next to him.
(=around age 60)· a well-dressed man in late middle age
(=be almost middle-aged)· a stocky, balding man who was approaching middle age
(=be middle-aged)· You need to start saving for retirement before you reach middle age.
(=be obviously middle-aged, probably at least 50)· Most of the people there were well into middle age.
(=now, rather than in the past)· In the modern age, television is the main means of mass communication.
· State old age pensions were introduced in 1908.
(=the age when you can get a pension)· Most men stayed in their jobs until pension age.
36% of the population were of pensionable age. (=gradually becoming older on average)· The rapidly ageing population will put a strain on the country's health care system.
The shoes range in price from $25 to $100.· The payments will be made until the child reaches college age.
· Employers can no longer place age restrictions on applicants.
· Sixty-five was the normal retirement age for men.
Eat less and exercise more if you want to live to a ripe old age. She was put in charge at the ripe old age of twenty-nine. She’s below the statutory age for school attendance. informal It took me ages to find a present for Dad.
It took me ages to find a present for Dad. (=be too young to legally drink, have sex etc)
informal esp BrE (=wait a long time)· I had to wait ages for a bus.
Val is incredibly young for her age.PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► the age of consent
1[intransitive, transitive] to start looking older or to make someone or something look older: - As you probably know, Herr Sanders is a gentleman of advanced years, inclined to be a little vague.
- At the advanced age of 71, Charles Bronson's wizened features are returning to the big screen.
- Male speaker Inevitably at her advanced years, it's difficult for her to overcome.
- On my advanced age, I dote.
- She addressed her young guest with civilities suitable for a personage of advanced years and uncertain appetite.
- Towards the rector he was a polite listener, a concession to the man's advanced years and his calling.
- When talking about the elderly in this sense we are referring to people in an advanced age group of well over eighty.
- Chances of developing cancer increase with advancing age.
- At your age, advancing years and all that.
- Joshua hoped that Malone had learnt wisdom with his advancing years.
- Of course, I was only displaying the ultimately cliched boomer trait, a tortured denial of my own advancing years.
- On her deathbed Mary Leapor reportedly expressed concern for her father's advancing age.
- Reasons put forth include his advancing age, the cumulative effect of thousands of hits and the decline of his offensive line.
- The association between advancing years and increasing rates of disability is illustrated in Figure 7.
- The risk of incapacitation increases with advancing years, and increases more rapidly after the age of 55.
- There are clear associations between advancing years and increasing disability, and this is particularly steep among the most elderly.
- Dataquest said only 12 percent in this income bracket owned computers.
- In addition they estimated the implied income tax brackets associated with each dividend payout level.
- It's all to do with the £19,250 tax bracket and engines below 2 litres.
- Jack Kemp would have to recommend that tax brackets be compressed to as low as 10 percent to dull their allure.
- Name the ethnicity, tax bracket or wardrobe, and they were there in full force.
- The key is, does your tax bracket justify buying munis?
- Together, that amounts to an annual tax saving of up to £1,000, compared to cars in a higher tax bracket.
- Why should you and I be in the same tax bracket as Steve Forbes?
- Bundles of papers and piles of books guarded secrets from a bygone age.
- He had impeccable manners that somehow always reminded you of an older, bygone age.
- In bygone days the Arms Park had an almost mystical quality for them.
- In bygone days, both railroad and stagecoach deposited visitors in nearby Point Reyes Station.
- Miss Piggy, Kermit and the rest now come across as symbols of a bygone era.
- One of the first examples of a curvilinear glasshouse, it stands as a reminder of bygone eras in Belfast's history.
- Since the reprise of coach John Robinson, who brought national championships in a different, bygone era.
- They appear now to be products of a bygone age.
- Four hundred million women of childbearing age weigh less than 45 kilograms-their malnutrition is passed on to their infants.
- Carrow also suggests that, for children scoring below their chronological age equivalent, the separate subtests can provide useful qualitative information.
- If so, chronological age might influence treatment policy.
- Test scores can be compared directly with the scores obtained by normal children of the same chronological age.
- The same ranging of, or variability in, Piagetian developmental levels is found at any chronological age group.
- There has never been a time more conscious of chronological age than our own.
- Britain's adopted children had come of age.
- Could 1992 be the year when the environmental revolution really comes of age?
- Duroc had had to come of age and replace the older Duroc in the service of Nguyen Seth.
- His leap from collector to seller may be the surest sign yet that road-map collecting has come of age.
- However, you will come of age in two months.
- It must be child development with this goal: that every child be ready for school when that child comes of age.
- Morris came of age in the 1850s.
- Both Maddy and Patrick were professionally successful at an early age, secure, and surrounded by helpful family.
- But what about alteration of brain chemistry at an early age?
- Did you start painting at an early age?
- I worry about cholesterol, because my father died of a heart attack at an early age.
- If you get to know about these things at an early age you lose your shame and shyness.
- Robin adds that as a boy he saw both the Graf Zeppelin and R-101, obviously an enthusiast from an early age.
- Spong does not advocate marriage at an early age.
- Women learn at an early age that most men do not like angry women living in the same house.
- You really start to feel you age when you spend time around these kids.
- By not feeling my age and by having energy and vigour.
- However, she was beginning to feel her age and could not face an argument until it was unavoidable.
- Make me feel my age, tell you the truth!
- Other times you don't feel your age at all.
- The journey was the longest he had ridden for several years and he was feeling his age.
- Treat your skin to Empathy and it will never feel its age.
- Unfortunately, this is just at the time when a woman is starting to feel her age, so is especially vulnerable.
- But even at the grand old age of 28, he was keen to give it a go.
- In 1989 the Society reached the grand old age of 100 years.
- The house, despite its grand old age, is welcoming and comfortable.
- At 40, you developed something flabby, disgusting and unavoidable called middle-aged spread and your waist disappeared along with your energy.
- Angie was the orchestra's soloist at the ripe old age of 22.
- Da Ponte lived to the ripe old age of 89.
- At the ripe old age of 28 he says he can no longer bear the rigours of the game.
- Ex-wife Alana demonstrates that she's still out in front in the glamour stakes at the ripe old age of 43.
- Inpart this reflects increasing expenditure on state pensions as more and more people live to a ripe old age.
- It was not until they levelled out that she thought again about the possibility of living to a ripe old age.
- Or I could make serious, long-term changes and hope to live to a ripe old age.
- So it seemed Meurent lived to a ripe old age.
- There's no escape from that if you want to live to a ripe old age.
- Tom had not reached the ripe old age of twenty-nine without discovering quite a few of them.
- Alongside me was Sam Ratcliffe who, at the tender age of sixteen, had already had quite a bit of publicity.
- And it has just happened to Kate Moss at the tender age of 18.
- At my tender age, I could only look on.
- Dealing with drivers at this tender age obviously sparked an interest in transport which has developed over the years.
- He knows how it feels to lose a father at a tender age.
- Tennis players start at a more tender age these days.
- But it could be several weeks yet before these children know the fate of their school.
- I know it will not be for some months yet, but time passes quickly.
- Indeed, it may beaver for many months yet.
- It was to last for some months yet.
- It will probably be some months yet before we get the final government reaction to our proposals.
- Sometimes they took little dancing steps, as their blood responded to rhythms that their descendants would not create for ages yet.
He was worried to see how much she’d aged. The experience had aged him in advance of his years.2[intransitive] to become older: The buildings are ageing, and some are unsafe.3[intransitive, transitive] to improve and develop in taste over a period of time, or to allow food or alcohol to do this SYN mature: Cheddar cheese ages well. The whisky is aged for at least ten years.