From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishageage1 /eɪdʒ/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 how oldHOW OLD [countable, uncountable]AGE the number of years someone has lived or something has existed → old 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.2 legal ageLEGAL AGE [uncountable]SCL 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 65.3 period of lifePERIOD OF LIFE [countable, uncountable]PERIOD OF TIME 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.4 being oldBEING OLD [uncountable]OLD-FASHIONEDOLD/NOT NEW the state of being old → youthwith age High blood pressure increases with age. Some of the furniture was showing signs of age.5 period of historyPERIOD OF HISTORY [countable usually singular]SHPERIOD OF TIME 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 period6 → ages7 → come of age → 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 ageThe risk of experiencing poverty is much greater for those over retirement age.school ageChildren should start doing homework as they approach high school age.school-leaving age British EnglishThe 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 age16 years is the minimum age to drive a car. the voting ageplans to bring down the voting age from 18 to 16the marrying ageShe was 28 – long past the usual marrying age.phrasesfrom an early/young ageShe’d been playing the piano from a very early age.at an early/young ageKids can start learning a second language at a young age.somebody (of) your own ageHe 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 age55 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/rangeMen 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 limitThere’s no upper age limit for drivers. age discriminationlaws against age discrimination in the workplaceverbsget to/reach/live to a particular ageOne 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 5: a particular period of historythe 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.
Examples from the Corpus
age• Newton lived in an age of exploration and discovery.• Nella was thirty-two, an age by which if a blonde woman's hair hasn't turned dark, it never will.• The average age of the students here is eighteen.• Many consider the '30s and '40s to be the golden age of Hollywood movies.• She's in her seventies, but very fit for her age.• I tried to guess her age but couldn't.• Jimmy's very tall for his age.• the Ice Age• I am actually a mammoth, said Jay, only I survived all your ice ages.• the architecture of the industrial age• What's the minimum age for getting a driver's license?• One is 7, and one is my age.• Their children's ages range from twelve to seventeen.• Francis is the same age as I am.• These simple tools were used for hunting in the Stone Age.• The television age has transformed the conventions into presentational exercises from which the unknown and unexpected are ruthlessly excised.• Dewhurst died at the age of seventy-three.• Experts have given different estimates of the age of the painting.• In many respects Bush is the most spun and spinning politician of the age.• The amount you pay for license tags and registration depends on the age of the vehicle.• Anyone over the age of fourteen has to pay the full fare.• This was far longer than the age of the earth as calculated by the creationists.• For example, under the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, age may be taken into account in certain circumstances.• But research suggests there are now 17,000 people under the age of 65 with Alzheimer's in Britain.• In this age of the Internet, finding a job can be much easier.• The newspapers were brown with age.• I'm surprised someone of your age didn't know that.• When I was your age I was already working.for his/her etc age• She's amazing for her age.• Pushing forty but kind of athletic for his age, a worried grey face and hair going a little thin.• Relative weaknesses existed in spelling and math computation that were average for his age.• Big for his age, he towered over Garry who was eleven.• Their choices for Chelsea were always just right for her age.• Harold Morton was in the fifth grade, and he was small for his age.• Tall for her age, she held her shoulders straight, her head, with its abundant sheen of hair, high.• He is wise for his age, my nice husband.under age• The clerk sold Jeff some beer, even though he was obviously under age.showing ... age• The fluoridation plant in Watford, also showing signs of age, stopped operating in 1989.• Thinking they were just showing their age - most tourists here are 50-plus - my companion and I clambered in.ageage2 ●●○ verb (present participle aging or ageing British English) 1 [intransitive, transitive]OLD/NOT NEW to start looking older or to make someone or something look older He was worried to see how much she’d aged. The experience had aged him in advance of his years.2 [intransitive]OLD/NOT NEW to become older The buildings are ageing, and some are unsafe.3 [intransitive, transitive]IMPROVE 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.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
age• 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.• After his wife's death, Wilfred seemed to age quickly.-age-age /-ɪdʒ/ suffix [in nouns] informal used to form new nouns referring to a quantity of something Here’s some interesting stattage (=stats, statistics) about the game.Origin age1 (1200-1300) Old French aage, from Vulgar Latin aetaticum, from Latin aetas, from aevum “lifetime, age” 