old

old
old [ ould ] adjective ***
▸ 1 for talking about age
▸ 2 having lived a long time
▸ 3 not new
▸ 4 that existed in the past
▸ 5 for showing you like someone
▸ + PHRASES
1. ) used for talking about the age of someone or something:
how old: She didn't mention how old her children were.
How old are you?
old enough to do something: He's not old enough to see this movie.
too old to do something: Aren't you too old to play with dolls?
a ) a 3-year-old/10-month-old etc. someone who has been alive for 3 years/10 months etc.:
I have two children, a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old.
b ) be 5 years/10 months etc. old to have been alive or to have existed for 5 years/10 months etc.:
My daughter Sophia is 3 years old.
European cities are centuries older than ours.
c ) used for saying that someone is not as young as other people:
He's 26 now, which is quite old in this sport.
the oldest: He's the oldest boy in his class.
older than: I'm older than my brother.
2. ) someone who is old has lived a long time:
A lot of old people live alone.
get/grow old: I hope I'll still be able to play golf when I get old.
a ) the old old people. Many people now think that this expression is offensive.
3. ) something that is old has existed or been used for a long time:
There's an old belief that animals can predict earthquakes.
Her sewing machine's really old, it was her mother's.
Trees are the oldest living things on the planet.
a ) only before noun used in a negative way about something that is not useful or in good condition any more:
Why do you keep all these old newspapers?
That old car of theirs is getting so unreliable.
b ) only before noun used in a positive way about something that is very familiar:
It was nice to get back into my old routine.
c ) an old friend/ally/enemy etc. someone who has been your friend/ally/enemy etc. for a very long time:
Pam and Sue are old friends.
4. ) only before noun used for describing something that existed, happened, or was used in the past:
Thy is an old way of saying your.
Look at all these old machines!
a ) used for referring to something that has been replaced by a newer thing of the same type:
The old highway to Salinas only had two lanes.
b ) used with the names of cities and countries, for referring to the oldest part or to the way it was in the past:
a tour of Warsaw's picturesque Old Town
c ) used with the names of languages to refer to the form of the language that was used in the past:
a poem written in Old English
d ) an old student/girlfriend etc. someone who was your student/girlfriend etc. in the past:
I still get letters from some of my old students.
5. ) INFORMAL used for showing that you like someone and care about them:
How is my old buddy Jim?
dear old: Dear old Emily, what would we do without her?
a ) poor old INFORMAL used for showing sympathy toward someone:
Poor old Diane, she really wanted that job.
(as) old as the hills SPOKEN
extremely old:
I like your dress. Really? It's as old as the hills.
for old times' sake
so that you can remember a happy time in the past:
Let's go back to Boston, for old times' sake.
of old MAINLY LITERARY
used for describing people and things from long ago in the past:
He was like a knight of old.
old enough to be someone's mother/father
much older than a particular person. This phrase is usually used for talking about two people who are having a romantic relationship.
your old self
the way you normally were in the past, before something happened:
Now you're talking like your old self again!
=> GOOD1, ANY

Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.

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  • old — W1S1 [əuld US ould] adj comparative older superlative oldest ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(not new)¦ 2¦(not young)¦ 3¦(age)¦ 4¦(that you used to have)¦ 5¦(familiar)¦ 6¦(very well known)¦ 7 the old days 8 …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Old — Old, a. [Compar. {Older}; superl. {Oldest}.] [OE. old, ald, AS. ald, eald; akin to D. oud, OS. ald, OFries. ald, old, G. alt, Goth. alpeis, and also to Goth. alan to grow up, Icel. ala to bear, produce, bring up, L. alere to nourish. Cf. {Adult} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • old — [ōld] adj. older or elder, oldest or eldest [ME < OE (Anglian) ald, WS eald, akin to Ger alt < IE base * al , to grow > L altus, old, alere, to nourish: basic sense “grown”] 1. having lived or been in existence for a long time; aged 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • Old — or OLD may refer to: Contents 1 Age 2 Places 3 Persons 4 Music 5 Acronyms …   Wikipedia

  • old — (adj.) O.E. ald (Anglian), eald (W.Saxon) aged, antique, primeval; elder, experienced, from W.Gmc. *althas grown up, adult (Cf. O.Fris. ald, Goth. alþeis, Du. oud, Ger. alt), originally a pp. stem of a verb meaning grow, nourish (Cf. Goth. alan… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Old 97's — Old 97 redirects here. For the Southern Railway train and its crash, see Wreck of the Old 97. Old 97 s The Old 97 s performing in 2008 Background information …   Wikipedia

  • old — ► ADJECTIVE (older, oldest) 1) having lived for a long time; no longer young. 2) made or built long ago. 3) possessed or used for a long time. 4) dating from far back; long established or known. 5) former; previous. 6) …   English terms dictionary

  • old — 1 *aged, elderly, superannuated Analogous words: *weak, feeble, infirm, decrepit Antonyms: young 2 Old, ancient, venerable, antique, antiquated, antediluvian, archaic, obsolete all denote having come into existence or use in the more or less… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • old — (izg. ȏld) prid. DEFINICIJA ob. u: SINTAGMA old boy (izg. old bȏj) 1. veteran (bivši sportaš, glazbenik i sl.) 2. jedan od partnera više dobi koja je određena posebnim propisima; stariji senior; old fashioned (izg. old fȅšnd) što je nekoć bilo… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Old 8×10 — Studio album by Randy Travis Released July 12, 1988 …   Wikipedia

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