age

- definition

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing.These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are morefrequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

noun

/eɪdʒ/

singular	age
plural	ages

Word sets

1
[countable/uncountable] the number of years that someone has lived
It was difficult to guess his age.
The average age of the delegates was over 60.
children under the age of seven
reach the age of:
She’ll only inherit when she reaches the age of 18.
at/from the age of:
At the age of 10, I went to live with my aunt.
at/from an early age (=a young age):
The sisters have been playing music together from an early age.
at your/his/her etc age (=because of how young or old someone is):
At her age, she might be expected to take things easy.
of all/different ages:
The film is designed to appeal to people of all ages.
difference in age:
Her parents disapproved of the relationship because of the difference in age.
years of age:
He started work there at 14 years of age.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age
1. a.
  the number of years that something has existed
  The value of the furniture depends on its condition and age.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age
See also reading age
2
[countable/uncountable] the time of life when you are allowed by law to do something
voting/retiring/school-leaving age:
young people who have reached the voting age
raise/lower the age of something:
They plan to raise the age of retirement for women to 65.
under age (=too young by law to do something):
He served wine to girls who were under age.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age
1. a.
  the time of life when it is possible or typical for people to do something
  child-bearing/working age:
  15% of women of child-bearing age were found to have the infection.
  of an age to do something:
  Her two older sons were both of an age to be working.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age
3
[uncountable] the state of being old or of becoming old
His face is starting to show signs of age.
with age:
With age, your reactions get slower.
Good wines improve with age.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age
4
[countable] a period of history
We live in a materialistic age.
age of:
It was an age of great intellectual excitement.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age
See also Dark Ages
5
ages
[plural] informal a long time
for ages:
She’s lived here for ages.
take/spend ages:
He took ages to answer the phone.
We spent ages trying to print this out.
in ages:
For the first time in ages, we sat down and talked.
ages ago:
The wedding was planned ages ago.
seem (like) ages:
After what seemed like ages, the doctor came back.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age

phrases

act/be your age
used for telling someone that they are behaving in a stupid way, as if they were much younger than they really are
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age
be someone’s age
or be the same age as someone
to be as old as someone
She’s the same age as me.
When you’re my age, you’ll understand.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age
come of age
1. 1
  to reach the age when you are legally an adult
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age
2. 2
  to become accepted and respected by most people
  With this film, Australian cinema finally comes of age.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age
for your/his/her age
used for saying that something is surprising, considering how old someone is
You’re very grown up for your age.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of age

Word sets: age

asking about age

how old used for asking someone their age or talking about their age: How old are you now, Peter? ♦ I’m not sure how old she is.

what age used for talking about the age someone is at a particular time: At what age did you start playing the piano? ♦ Decide what age you want to retire at.

saying how old someone is

be 2/10/40 etc the most usual way of saying how old someone is: I will be 45 next birthday. ♦ She was only nine when her father left.

be 2/10/40 years old or 2/10/40 years of age: Sarah will be 18 years old on 25th May. ♦ I’ve lived here since I was six years of age.

be 2/3/4 months old used for talking about babies or young children: Most children don’t start to walk until they are around 12 to 14 months old.

aged 2/10/40 etc: Ideally, we want someone aged 20–25 to work as a trainee. ♦ A girl aged 14 has been chosen to play the leading role.

of 2/10/40 etc: A child of three is unlikely to show much interest in reading and writing. ♦ Shortly after turning 19, she became engaged to a man of 45.

2-/10-/40-year-old used before a noun, or used as a noun: a 56-year-old man ♦ a lively 20-year-old

under 2/10/40 etc less than a particular number of years old: Women under 40 generally don’t need regular mammograms. ♦ We have a playgroup for the under-fives.

over 2/10/40 etc more than a particular number of years old: You have to be over 65 to join.

when you are not saying exactly how old someone is

in your teens/twenties/thirties etc used for saying that someone is aged between 13–19, 20–29, 30–39 etc: Children often become quite difficult in their teens. ♦ Police are looking for a man in his early thirties.

twenty-something/thirty-something etc- used as an adjective or noun for talking about someone aged between 20–29, 30–39 etc: a successful twenty-something lawyer ♦ The programme is designed to appeal to thirty-somethings.

teenage aged between 13 and 19: a group of teenage girls waiting for the bus

teenager someone aged between 13 and 19

middle-aged no longer young, but not yet old, usually used for someone aged between 40 and 60: a middle-aged couple with grown-up children

This is the British English definition of age. View American English definition of age.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

showmance

a romantic relationship between two members of the cast of a play, film or television series

BuzzWord Article

More BuzzWords

BuzzWord archive

Word of the Day

soapstone

a type of soft stone that is often carved to make decorations

Word of the Day

Open Dictionary

human-readable

able to be read and understood by people

add a word

More submissions

view entries

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog

Did you know?

age

What are red words?

Thesaurus

Related dictionary definitions

Menu

ages

phrases

act/be your age

be someone’s age

or be the same age as someone

come of age

for your/his/her age

showmance

Word of the Day

soapstone

human-readable