age
noun
the length of time during which a being or thing has existed; length of life or existence to the time spoken of or referred to.
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age
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-age
-agea suffix typically forming mass or abstract nouns from various parts of speech, occurring originally in loanwords from French (voyage; courage ) and productive in English with the meanings “aggregate” (coinage; peerage; trackage ), “process” (coverage; breakage ), “the outcome of ” as either “the fact of ” or “the physical effect or remains of ” (seepage; wreckage; spoilage ), “place of living or business” (parsonage; brokerage ), “social standing or relationship” (bondage; marriage; patronage ), and “quantity, measure, or charge” (footage; shortage; tonnage; towage ).
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A.G.E.
A.G.E.abbreviationAssociate in General Education.
Trivia Time
In Shakespeare's As You Like It, he describes the "seven ages of man." What is the final age?
age
1 American
[ayj]
/ eɪdʒ /
noun
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ages
plural
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the length of time during which a being or thing has existed; length of life or existence to the time spoken of or referred to.
trees of unknown age; His age is 20 years.
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a period of human life, measured by years from birth, usually marked by a certain stage or degree of mental or physical development and involving legal responsibility and capacity.
the age of discretion; the age of consent; The state raised the drinking age from 18 to 21 years.
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the particular period of life at which a person becomes naturally or conventionally qualified or disqualified for anything.
He was over age for military duty.
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one of the periods or stages of human life.
a person of middle age.
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advanced years; old age.
His eyes were dim with age.
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a particular period of history, as distinguished from others; a historical epoch.
the age of Pericles; the Stone Age; the age of electronic communications.
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the period of history contemporary with the span of an individual's life.
He was the most famous architect of the age.
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a generation or a series of generations.
ages yet unborn.
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a great length of time.
I haven't seen you for an age. He's been gone for ages.
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the average life expectancy of an individual or of the individuals of a class or species.
The age of a horse is from 25 to 30 years.
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Psychology. the level of mental, emotional, or educational development of a person, especially a child, as determined by various tests and based on a comparison of the individual's score with the average score for persons of the same chronological age.
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Geology.
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a period of the history of the earth distinguished by some special feature.
the Ice Age.
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a unit of geological time, shorter than an epoch, during which the rocks comprising a stage were formed.
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any of the successive periods in human history divided, according to Hesiod, into the golden, silver, bronze, heroic, and iron ages.
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Cards.
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Poker. the first player at the dealer's left.
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verb (used without object)
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ages,
present (3rd person singular)
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aged,
past participle, past
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aging,
present participle
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ageing
present participle (especially British)
verb (used with object)
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ages,
present (3rd person singular)
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aged,
past participle, past
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aging,
present participle
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ageing
present participle (especially British)
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to make old; cause to grow or seem old.
Fear aged him overnight.
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to bring to maturity or a state fit for use.
to age wine.
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to store (a permanent magnet, a capacitor, or other similar device) so that its electrical or magnetic characteristics become constant.
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to expose (a dye or dyed cloth) to steam or humid air in order to fix the dye.
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to stabilize the electrical properties of (a device) by passing current through it.
idioms
-age
2
American
A.G.E.
3
American
abbreviation
age
1
British
/ eɪdʒ /
noun
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the period of time that a person, animal, or plant has lived or is expected to live
the age of a tree
what age was he when he died?
the age of a horse is up to thirty years
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the period of existence of an object, material, group, etc
the age of this table is 200 years
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a period or state of human life
he should know better at his age
she had got beyond the giggly age
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( as modifier )
age group
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the latter part of life
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a period of history marked by some feature or characteristic; era
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( capital when part of a name )
the Middle Ages
the Space Age
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generation
the Edwardian age
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geology palaeontol
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a period of the earth's history distinguished by special characteristics
the age of reptiles
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the period during which a stage of rock strata is formed; a subdivision of an epoch
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myth any of the successive periods in the legendary history of man, which were, according to Hesiod, the golden, silver, bronze, heroic, and iron ages
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informal (often plural) a relatively long time
she was an age washing her hair
I've been waiting ages
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psychol the level in years that a person has reached in any area of development, such as mental or emotional, compared with the normal level for his chronological age See also achievement age mental age
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(often said humorously when yielding precedence) older people take precedence over younger people
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adult and legally responsible for one's actions (usually at 18 or, formerly, 21 years)
verb
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to grow or make old or apparently old; become or cause to become old or aged
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to begin to seem older
to have aged a lot in the past year
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brewing to mature or cause to mature
-age
2
British
suffix
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indicating a collection, set, or group
acreage
baggage
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indicating a process or action or the result of an action
haulage
passage
breakage
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indicating a state, condition, or relationship
bondage
parentage
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indicating a house or place
orphanage
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indicating a charge or fee
postage
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indicating a rate
dosage
mileage
age
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
Age, epoch, era, period all refer to an extent of time. Age usually implies a considerable extent of time, especially one associated with a dominant personality, influence, characteristic, or institution: the age of chivalry. Epoch and era are often used interchangeably to refer to an extent of time characterized by changed conditions and new undertakings: an era ( or epoch ) of invention. epoch sometimes refers especially to the beginning of an era: the steam engine—an epoch in technology. A period may be long or short, but usually has a marked condition or feature: the glacial period; a period of expansion.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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agesimple
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agessimple
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have agedperfect
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has agedperfect
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am ageingprogressive
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am agingprogressive
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are ageingprogressive
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are agingprogressive
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is ageingprogressive
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is agingprogressive
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have been ageingperfect progressive
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have been agingperfect progressive
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has been ageingperfect progressive
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has been agingperfect progressive
Past
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agedsimple
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had agedperfect
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was ageingprogressive
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was agingprogressive
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were ageingprogressive
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were agingprogressive
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had been ageingperfect progressive
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had been agingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of age1
First recorded in 1225–75; (for the noun) Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French aage, eage, equivalent to aé, eé (from Latin ae(vi)tās “age, lifetime,” from aev(um) “eternity, period, time” + -itās -ity ) + -age -age; verb derivative of the noun
Origin of -age2
Middle English < Old French < Latin -āticum, neuter of -āticus adj. suffix; an extension of Latin -āta -ate 1, whose range of senses it reflects closely
Explanation
Your age is the number of years you've been alive. If your cat is six, you can say that he's "six years of age." You can also talk about a stage of life or an era in history as an age: "School age kids need to get outside and play every day." Often when someone mentions age as a concept or idea, they mean old age, or being elderly. And the verb age means "grow older." The word comes from the Old French aage, "age or lifetime," from the Latin root aevum, "lifetime, eternity, or age."
Vocabulary lists containing age
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Ray Close, the Belfast boxer who almost handed Chris Eubank the first defeat of his career, has died at the age of 57.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Pike's lawyers had argued she should be granted clemency due to her young age and mental health issues at the time of Slemmer's killing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Campbell’s goal in the 1940s, starting with America’s nerdy, unathletic boys, was to prepare the country to face a dangerous new age of science and technology, the emblem for which was the atomic bomb.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
After you reach age 65, you can withdraw HSA money for nonmedical reasons without incurring a 20% penalty, although your withdrawals are usually still taxable as ordinary income.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
I even recognize the same play kitchen and grocery cart I had when I was her age.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
NOTE.—The suffix -age is found only in French-Latin derivatives.
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
Examples of words formed in imitation of these in English itself are blockade, orangeade. -age, ending of abstract nouns, as homage; marks place where, as vicarage;—of English formation, bondage, brewage, parsonage.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
We incline to think rather that it corresponds to -age, being added chiefly to words in e. -age fits rather upon stems in a. gounfle, swollen. gounflige, swelling.
From Frédéric Mistral Poet and Leader in Provence by Charles Alfred Downer
Another large group of hovering accents is that formed by French words with such terminations as -our, -ance, -ace, -age, -ant, -ess.
From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Raymond MacDonald Alden
This suffix is the equivalent of the French -age, and is a suffix of frequent occurrence in forming new words.
From Frédéric Mistral Poet and Leader in Provence by Charles Alfred Downer
Other companies have opted to release less-niche products that can still be marketed toward GLP-1 patients, such as SkinCeuticals’ new A.G.E.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2025
In a 1998 federal indictment, U.S. prosecutors in Reno identified him as the former president of a company, A.G.E.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2022
Among federal loans, borrowers between the ages of 50 and 61 have the highest average loan balance of $48,875, according to the Education Data Initiative.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Another youth-led group in that district, Maine Youth Power, started in 2021 to offer young Mainers clearer paths to engagement in a state with one of the highest median ages.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
About a decade ago, Renne used argon-argon dating to establish precise ages for a meteor impact, major volcanic eruptions in India and the extinction of the dinosaurs.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
Liang Ge has spoken to women of all ages who use this technology.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
He was standing where the First Beings had once stood all those ages ago.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
On Thursday, police said another U.K. national, aged 26, was questioned and two properties were searched.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
That work found that atherosclerosis was already present in many middle aged adults and was associated with lifestyle patterns.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
Milburn says that for Key Stage 4 pupils - aged between 14 and 16 - experience must be given in a real workplace with employer feedback.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The movement in the lycees, attended by students aged 15 to 18 for their final three years of secondary education in France, has angered the government.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
And the aged lord, without a word, shambled silently away, his old velvet shoes flapping and off at his heels, coughing as he went.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
The F-16V is a fourth-generation multi-role fighter and a significantly upgraded version of Taiwan's ageing F-16 A/B jets.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
While an ageing population and lower birth rates are limiting the supply of younger workers, higher participation rates among older employees and migration have helped to offset this decline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The genomic resource could eventually contribute to human research involving ageing, immunity, and disease resistance.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
India's single-screen cinemas have been steadily squeezed by multiplexes, streaming, rising property costs and the expense of maintaining ageing buildings and equipment.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
They were both old and round, and they lived in their flat with a number of ageing Highland terriers who had names like Hamish and Andrew and Jock.
From "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman
Labor costs are up, and our aging devices are balking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
“Older debtors are the fastest-growing demographic of debtors,” said Eleni Schirmer, an organizer with the Debt Collective debtor activist organization, who is writing a book on the rise of aging borrowers.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Storms can overwhelm the aging facility, which suffered an equipment breakdown in 2021 that led to 17 million gallons of raw sewage gushing into the Santa Monica Bay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Continuously inhabited for the last quarter-century, the aging ISS is scheduled to be pushed out of Earth's orbit before crashing into one of Earth's oceans sometime around 2030.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
The two aging men saw her through her loneliest and most difficult hours, through the malignant limbo of turning from a howling tomboy into a young woman.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
