- 1 [countable, uncountable] the number of years that a person has lived or a thing has existed He left school at the age of 18. She needs more friends of her own age. children from 5–10 years of age Young people of all ages go there to meet. When I was your age I was already married. He started playing the piano at an early age. All ages admitted. Children over the age of 12 must pay full fare. She was beginning to feel her age (= feel that she was getting old). He was tall for his age (= taller than you would expect, considering his age). There’s a big age gap between them (= a big difference in their ages). ways of calculating the age of the earth Wordfinderageadolescent, age, elderly, generation, infant, juvenile, middle-aged, minor, teenage, young Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveearly, tender, young, … verb + ageattain, get to, live to, … age + noungroup, range, limit, … prepositionat a/the age, between the ages, by the age, … phrasesthe age of consent, somebody’s own age, years of age, … See full entry
- 2 [uncountable, countable] a particular period of a person’s life middle age 15 is an awkward age. He died of old age. CollocationsThe ages of lifeChildhood/youth be born and raised/bred in Oxford; into a wealthy/middle-class family have a happy/an unhappy/a tough childhood grow up in a musical family/in an orphanage/on a farm be/grow up an only child (= with no brothers or sisters) reach/hit/enter/go through adolescence/puberty be in your teens/early twenties/mid-twenties/late twenties undergo/experience physical/psychological changes give in to/succumb to/resist peer pressure assert your independence/individualityAdulthood leave school/university/home go out to work (at sixteen) get/find a job/partner be/get engaged/married have/get a wife/husband/mortgage/steady job settle down and have kids/children/a family begin/start/launch/build a career (in politics/science/the music industry) prove (to be)/represent/mark/reach a turning point in your life/career reach/be well into/settle into middle age have/suffer/go through a midlife crisis take/consider early retirement approach/announce/enjoy your retirementOld age have/see/spend time with your grandchildren take up/pursue/develop a hobby get/receive/draw/collect/live on a pension approach/save for/die from old age live to a ripe old age reach the grand old age of 102/23 (often ironic) be/become/be getting/be going senile (often ironic) die (peacefully)/pass away in your sleep/after a brief illness see also third age Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveearly, tender, young, … verb + ageattain, get to, live to, … age + noungroup, range, limit, … prepositionat a/the age, between the ages, by the age, … phrasesthe age of consent, somebody’s own age, years of age, … See full entry
- 3 [countable] a particular period of history the nuclear age the age of the computer see also Bronze Age, Iron Age, New Age, Stone Age Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveanother, bygone, different, … prepositionduring the… age, in a/the age, through the ages, … phrasesin this day and age See full entry
- 4 [uncountable] the state of being old Wine improves with age. The jacket was showing signs of age. the wisdom that comes with age
- 5 ages [plural] (also an age [singular]) (informal, especially British English) a very long time I waited for ages. It'll probably take ages to find a parking space. Carlos left ages ago. It's been an age since we've seen them. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verb + ages/an agespend, take phrasesabsolutely ages, ages ago, for ages, … See full entry
- 6 [countable] (geology) a length of time which is a division of an epoch Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French, based on Latin aetas, aetat-, from aevum ‘age, era’.Extra examples Act your age! At your age I had already started work. Carlos left ages ago. He could read by the age of four. He lived during the Elizabethan age. He was sent away to school at an early age. He was still active even at the advanced age of 87. He’s 20 years of age. He’s quite a big boy for his age. I’ve been sitting here for absolutely ages. In an age when few women became politicians, her career was unusual. It is illegal to sell alcohol to children under the age of 18. It took an age for us all to get on the boat. She dreaded old age. She lived to the age of 75. She needs a friend of her own age to play with. She was beginning to feel her age. The general age of consent for sexual activity is 16. The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 years. This exquisite little hotel seemed to belong to a different age. Twelve million people are over retirement age. Twelve million people in Great Britain are over retirement age. We had to wait for ages! When you get to my age you get a different perspective on life. White hair is a sign of great age. Why dress so formally in this day and age? a pleasant woman in early middle age an exhibition of Islamic art through the ages children between the ages of five and eleven children of school age the age of the wireless communication the golden age of Hollywood Are the laws of war still relevant in the nuclear age? He started playing the piano at an early age. It was only now, in middle age, that she was beginning to enjoy life. She needs to find more friends of her own age. They dug up several examples of Bronze Age pottery. children from 5–10 years of ageIdioms
- 1when a person comes of age, they reach the age when they have an adult’s legal rights and responsibilities The money will go to the children when they come of age. see also coming of age
- 2if something comes of age, it reaches the stage of development at which people accept and value it It was the year that concern for the environment really came of age.
to behave in a way that is suitable for somebody of your age and not as though you were much younger Isn’t it time you started acting your age?
to realize that you are getting old, especially compared with people you are with who are younger than you
a great age She finally learned to drive at the grand old age of 70.
now, in the modern world
to seem as old as you really are and not younger or older She doesn’t look her age; I thought she was ten years younger.
used in polite expressions to describe somebody as ‘very old’ He was a man of advanced years. (humorous) Even at my advanced age I still know how to enjoy myself!
if you talk about a person being of a certain age, you mean that they are no longer young but not yet old The show appeals to an audience of a certain age.
an age that is considered to be very old He lived to the ripe old age of 91.
not legally old enough to do a particular thing It is illegal to sell cigarettes to children who are under age. see also underage
Check pronunciation: age
