old (older comparative) (oldest superlative )
1 adj Someone who is old has lived for many years and is no longer young.
(=elderly) (Antonym: young)
...a white-haired old man..., He was considered too old for the job.
The old are people who are old., n-plural the N
...providing a caring response for the needs of the old and the handicapped.
2 adj You use old to talk about how many days, weeks, months, or years someone or something has lived or existed.
amount ADJ, how ADJ, as ADJ as, ADJ-compar than
He was abandoned by his father when he was three months old..., The paintings in the chapel were perhaps a thousand years old..., How old are you now?..., Bill was six years older than David.
3 adj Something that is old has existed for a long time., (Antonym: new)
She loved the big old house..., These books must be very old., ...an old Arab proverb.
4 adj Something that is old is no longer in good condition because of its age or because it has been used a lot.
usu ADJ n (Antonym: new)
He took a bunch of keys from the pocket of his old corduroy trousers., ...an old toothbrush.
5 adj You use old to refer to something that is no longer used, that no longer exists, or that has been replaced by something else.
ADJ n
The old road had disappeared under grass and heather..., Although the old secret police have been abolished, the military police still exist...
6 adj You use old to refer to something that used to belong to you, or to a person or thing that used to have a particular role in your life.
poss ADJ n
I'll make up the bed in your old room..., Mark was heartbroken when Jane returned to her old boyfriend.
7 adj An old friend, enemy, or rival is someone who has been your friend, enemy, or rival for a long time.
ADJ n
I called my old friend John Horner..., The French and English are old rivals.
8 adj You can use old to express affection when talking to or about someone you know.
INFORMAL ADJ n (feelings)
Are you all right, old chap?..., Good old Bergen would do him the favor.
9 You use any old to emphasize that the quality or type of something is not important. If you say that a particular thing is notany old thing, you are emphasizing how special or famous it is.
INFORMAL
any old phrase PHR n (emphasis)
The portraits and sumptuous ornaments, and the gold clock, show that this is not just any old front room.
10 In the old days means in the past, before things changed.
in the old days phrase PHR with cl
In the old days we got a visit from the vet maybe once a year.
11 When people refer to the good old days, they are referring to a time in the past when they think that life was better than it is now.
the good old days phrase
He remembers the good old days when everyone in his village knew him and you could leave your door open at night.
12 →
good old →
good →
to settle an old score →
score →
up to one's old tricks →
trick
age-old
An age-old story, tradition, or problem has existed for many generations or centuries.
WRITTEN adj usu ADJ n
(=ancient)
This age-old struggle for control had led to untold bloody wars.
old age
Your old age is the period of years towards the end of your life. n-uncount oft poss N (Antonym: youth)
They worry about how they will support themselves in their old age...
old age pension (old age pensions plural ), old-age pension An old age pension is a regular amount of money that people receive from the government when they have retired from work.
(BRIT) n-count
in AM, use social security benefit, social security payment
old age pensioner (old age pensioners plural ), old-age pensioner An old age pensioner is a person who is old enough to receive an pension from their employer or the government.
(BRIT) n-count
(=OAP, senior citizen)
in AM, use senior citizen, retiree
old bat (old bats plural )If someone refers to an old person, especially an old woman, as an old bat, they think that person is silly, annoying, or unpleasant.
INFORMAL, OFFENSIVE n-count usu sing (disapproval)
old boy (old boys plural )You can refer to a man who used to be a pupil at a particular school or university as an old boy.
(BRIT) n-count
...Eton College, with all its traditions and long list of famous old boys.
old-boy network (old-boy networks plural ), old boy network When people talk about the old-boy network, they are referring to a situation in which people who went to the same public school or university use their positions of influence to help each other.
(BRIT) n-count usu the N in sing (disapproval)
The majority obtained their positions through the old boy network.
old-fashioned
1 adj Something such as a style, method, or device that is old-fashioned is no longer used, done, or admired by most people, because it has been replaced by something that is more modern., (Antonym: modern)
The house was dull, old-fashioned and in bad condition..., There are some traditional farmers left who still make cheese the old-fashioned way.
2 adj Old-fashioned ideas, customs, or values are the ideas, customs, and values of the past.
(=traditional)
She has some old-fashioned values and can be a strict disciplinarian., ...good old-fashioned English cooking.
old flame (old flames plural )An old flame is someone with whom you once had a romantic relationship. n-count
Sue was seen dating an old flame...
old girl (old girls plural )You can refer to a woman who used to be a pupil at a particular school or university as an old girl.
(BRIT) n-count
...the St Mary's Ascot Old Girls' Reunion Lunch.
Old Glory
People sometimes refer to the flag of the United States as Old Glory.
(AM) n-uncount
old guard
If you refer to a group of people as the old guard, you mean that they have worked in a particular organization for a very long time and are unwilling to accept new ideas or practices. n-sing-coll usu the/poss N (disapproval)
The old guard did not like the changes that Brewer introduced...
old hand (old hands plural )If someone is an old hand at something, they are very skilled at it because they have been doing it for a long time. n-count oft N at n
(=veteran) (Antonym: novice)
An old hand at photography, Tim has been shooting wildlife as a hobby for the last 13 years.
old hat
→
hat
old lady
Some men refer to their wife, girlfriend, or mother as their old lady.
INFORMAL n-sing usu poss N
He had met his old lady when he was a house painter and she was a waitress.
old maid (old maids plural )People sometimes refer to an old or middle-aged woman as an old maid when she has never married and they think that it is unlikely that she ever will marry. This use could cause offence. n-count
(disapproval)
(=spinster)
Alex is too young to be already thinking of herself as an old maid.
old man
Some people refer to their father, husband, or boyfriend as their old man.
INFORMAL n-sing the/poss N
Her old man left her a few millions when he died...
old master (old masters plural )An old master is a painting by one of the famous European painters of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. These painters can also be referred to as the Old Masters. n-count
...his collection of old masters and modern art., ...portraits by Gainsborough, Rubens and other Old Masters.
old people's home (old people's homes plural )An old people's home is a place where old people live and are cared for when they are too old to look after themselves.
(mainly BRIT) n-count
old school tie
When people talk about the old school tie, they are referring to the situation in which people who attended the same public school use their positions of influence to help each other.
(BRIT) n-sing the N
Of course, the old school tie has been a help.
old-style
You use old-style to describe something or someone of a type that was common or popular in the past but is not common or popular now. adj ADJ n
(=old-fashioned)
...a proper barber shop with real old-style barber chairs.
Old Testament
The Old Testament is the first part of the Bible. It deals especially with the relationship between God and the Jewish people. n-proper the N
old-time
If you describe something as old-time, you mean that it was common or popular in the past but is not common or popular now. adj ADJ n
(=old-fashioned)
...an old-time dance hall which still has a tea dance on Monday afternoons.
old-timer (old-timers plural )
1 n-count If you refer to someone as an old-timer, you mean that he or she has been living in a particular place or doing a particular job for a long time.
INFORMAL, Antonym: newcomer The old-timers and established families clutched the reins of power.
2 n-count An old man is sometimes referred to as an old-timer.
(AM)
INFORMAL
old wives' tale (old wives' tales plural )An old wives' tale is a traditional belief, especially one which is incorrect. n-count
Ann Bradley dispels the old wives' tales and gives the medical facts.
old woman (old women plural )If you refer to someone, especially a man, as an old woman, you are critical of them because you think they are too anxious about things.
INFORMAL n-count
(disapproval)
-year-old (-year-olds plural )-year-old combines with numbers to describe the age of people or things. comb in adj ADJ n
She has a six-year-old daughter., ...their 200-year-old farmhouse in Ohio.
-year-old also combines to form nouns., comb in n-count
Snow Puppies is a ski school for 3 to 6-year-olds.
