old
old — adjective
1. having lived for many years, or having been around for many years; the opposite
having lived for many years, or having been around for many years; the opposite of young or new.
Roya's grandmother is ninety-two and still drives her old red car to the market.
modifying both a person and an object
The wooden bridge is too old to carry trucks across the river.
predicative use after 'be'
An old man with a white beard sat reading on the park bench.
attributive: old + noun
Eitan replaced the old batteries in his torch before the camping trip.
old vs. new contrast
The library keeps very old books in a special locked room.
- very old
- really old
- an old man
- an old woman
- old age
Usage Note
Covers both people and things. For people, 'older' is often softer and more polite than 'old'; many speakers say 'an older woman' instead of 'an old woman' to avoid sounding rude.
Common Mistakes
2. not right for someone because the thing was made for people of a higher age grou
not right for someone because the thing was made for people of a higher age group.
That cartoon is too old for my four-year-old nephew; it has scary monsters.
pattern: too old for + person
Meera said the novel felt a bit old for her ten-year-old daughter.
softened with 'a bit'
The teacher chose a film that was not too old for a class of seven-year-olds.
Ryo loved the museum, but the science labels were a little old for him at age six.
- too old for
- a bit old for
- a little old for
- young
as in 'too young for' the same audience
Usage Note
Almost always paired with 'too' or 'a bit', and with 'for + person'. Distinguish from sense 1: here the thing itself is not aged — it is simply pitched at an older audience.
Common Mistakes
3. of a stated age, or used in questions to ask the age of a person, animal, or thi
of a stated age, or used in questions to ask the age of a person, animal, or thing.
Caleb, how old is the brown puppy your sister just adopted?
question pattern: How old + be?
Tuan turned six years old last Tuesday and blew out every candle himself.
number + years old
The painting is almost four hundred years old.
for objects, not just people
My twin sisters are both nine months old this week.
months old for babies
How old do I have to be to apply for a driver's licence?
- years old
- months old
- weeks old
- How old
- a [number]-year-old
Grammar Patterns
number + years old
How old + be + subject?
Usage Note
The pattern is fixed: 'number + years/months/weeks + old' (never 'old + years'). For babies, use 'months' or 'weeks' old. Also used in compounds before nouns: 'a six-year-old boy' (with hyphens, no plural 's' on year).
Common Mistakes
4. belonging to your own past — something you once used, owned, lived in, or had a
belonging to your own past — something you once used, owned, lived in, or had a role in, and now no longer do, such as a former school, job, address, or pair of shoes you have replaced.
Mauricio still keeps an old letter from his first piano teacher in his desk drawer.
before noun: 'old letter'
Anya bumped into an old classmate from primary school at the supermarket.
former relationship
We sold our old apartment in Berlin before moving to the countryside.
previous and now replaced
Hiroshi found a box of his old school reports while clearing out his parents' attic.
personal past possession with possessive 'his'
Eric ran into his old boss at the conference and they shared a coffee.
former + role noun
- old friend (from school)
- old job
- old school
- old days
- old times
Usage Note
Subject is a person whose past the noun belonged to — typical objects are roles ('old boss', 'old teacher'), places ('old flat', 'old neighbourhood'), and personal possessions ('old jeans', 'old phone'). The marker for this sense is a possessive determiner ('my old', 'her old', 'our old') signalling that the speaker has since moved on from that thing.
Common Mistakes
5. used with the name of a language to mean its earliest recorded form, spoken many
used with the name of a language to mean its earliest recorded form, spoken many centuries ago.
Zuri is studying Old English so she can read the original poem 'Beowulf'.
Old + language name (capitalised)
The professor read a passage in Old Norse to the class.
Petra's professor showed the class a parchment manuscript written in Old High German.
Noor's thesis compares Old French verbs with their Latin roots.
academic register
- Old English
- Old Norse
- Old French
- Old High German
- Ancient
used with some languages: 'Ancient Greek' rather than 'Old Greek'
- Modern
as in 'Modern English', 'Modern Greek'
Usage Note
Used as a fixed prefix to a language name and almost always written with a capital O: Old English, Old Norse, Old French. Refers to a historical stage roughly before AD 1200, depending on the language. Distinguish from sense 4: an 'old book' is just a book of any considerable age; an 'Old English' text is from a specific historical period.
Common Mistakes
6. describing a person or place you have known well over many years, usually with w
describing a person or place you have known well over many years, usually with warm or affectionate feelings.
Adina met an old friend from university for lunch in the same café they used to visit.
old friend collocation
Walking through her old neighbourhood, Élise recognised every shop and tree.
old + place noun
Lucía and Christopher are old colleagues who first worked together in 2010.
long-standing relationship
The pub on the corner is an old favourite of ours on rainy Sundays.
an old favourite
- an old friend
- an old colleague
- an old favourite
- an old haunt
- old neighbourhood
- long-standing
more formal; works for friendships, agreements, traditions
- lifelong
stronger; lasting an entire life
- longtime
common in American English; written as one word
- new
as in 'a new friend' — recently met
Usage Note
Always used directly before the noun. The age of the person is irrelevant — an 'old friend' can be twenty years old, as long as the friendship itself is long. To stress age instead, say 'an elderly friend' or 'a friend who is getting old'.
Common Mistakes
7. placed before someone's name, or before a word like 'man' or 'chap', as a way of
placed before someone's name, or before a word like 'man' or 'chap', as a way of expressing friendly feelings or, occasionally, mild irritation toward them.
Good old Liam — he always remembers everyone's birthday.
good old + name (warm)
Poor old Caleb missed the bus again and walked all the way home.
poor old + name (sympathetic)
Cheer up, old chap — the weather will clear by tomorrow.
old chap as friendly address (British)
Silly old me, I left my keys in the office again.
silly old + pronoun (self-mocking)
- good old
- poor old
- silly old
- old chap
- old boy
- dear
warmer, more old-fashioned: 'dear old Aunt May'
Usage Note
Highly informal and emotional, not literal — the person can be young. Almost always inside fixed frames: 'good old X', 'poor old X', 'silly old X', 'old chap', 'old boy'. 'Old chap' and 'old boy' are mainly British and now sound dated; safer for learners to recognise than to use.
Common Mistakes
any old…
idiomUsed to refer to any item of a particular type when the specific one does not matter.
Just grab any old book from the shelf to read.
Can I use any old cup, or do you want a specific one?
any old how
idiomIn a careless or disorganized manner.
He threw his clothes on the floor any old how.
The papers were scattered any old how across the desk.
as old as the hills
idiomExtremely old; ancient.
That legend is as old as the hills.
My grandmother's recipe is as old as the hills.
To behave in the same bad way as before.
Tom is up to his old tricks again, hiding his homework.
She was up to her old tricks, spreading rumors about coworkers.
A person who is very similar to their parent in appearance or behavior.
Young Mia is a chip off the old block, just like her mother.
He's a chip off the old block; he plays guitar like his dad.
for old times’ sake
idiomDone because it reminds you of happy times in the past.
We met for coffee for old times' sake.
Let's sing that song for old times' sake.
To dismiss someone from a job or end a relationship with them.
The company gave him the old heave-ho after the scandal.
She gave her boyfriend the heave-ho last week.
An earlier period in life or history seen as better or worse than the present.
Grandpa often talks about the good old days.
Those were the bad old days of strict rationing.
A very old age, often used with a number.
She learned to swim at the grand old age of 80.
He retired at the grand old age of 75.
A respected man who has been in a profession for a long time.
He is the grand old man of British theatre.
Dr. Smith, the grand old man of physics, gave a lecture.
have a high old time
idiomTo enjoy oneself very much.
The kids had a high old time at the amusement park.
We had a high old time dancing all night.
in old money
idiomUsing older or more traditional units of measurement.
The distance is 10 kilometers, or about 6 miles in old money.
It weighs 500 grams, which is just over a pound in old money.
Money earned very easily with little effort.
Babysitting for an hour was money for old rope.
That job is money for jam; you just sit and watch.
An older person acting foolishly is worse than a younger one because they should know better.
He fell for the scam again; there's no fool like an old fool.
She invested in that risky scheme—no fool like an old fool.
of old
idiomIn or since past times.
In days of old, knights rode horses.
We know him of old as a reliable friend.
A friendly way for older men of a certain social class to address another man.
Cheer up, old boy, things will get better.
Hello, old chap, how are you today?
Much older than someone, especially suggesting a romantic relationship is inappropriate.
He's dating a woman young enough to be his daughter.
She's old enough to be his mother; it's weird.
Old enough to behave more sensibly than one actually did.
He's 15 and old enough to know better than to run in the hall.
She's old enough to know better than to talk back to her teacher.
A young person who acts more sensibly than expected for their age.
At 12, she has an old head on young shoulders.
He's only 16 but has an old head on young shoulders.
the (same) old story
idiomWhat usually happens, often a negative situation.
It's the same old story: he lost his keys again.
The project failed—the same old story of poor planning.
an old wives’ tale
idiomAn old belief that is now known to be untrue.
Eating carrots improves your eyesight is an old wives' tale.
Don't believe that old wives' tale about cracking your knuckles.
An old-fashioned person who prefers traditional methods.
My grandfather is one of the old school; he writes letters by hand.
She's one of the old school, believing in strict discipline.
A very old age, often used with a number.
He lived to the ripe old age of 95.
She passed away at the ripe old age of 100.
To punish someone who has harmed you in the past.
He wanted to settle an old score with his rival.
She settled accounts with the man who cheated her.
It is difficult to make people change long-held habits or methods.
My dad refuses to use a smartphone; you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
She won't change her routine—can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Very strong and able to handle difficult conditions.
Despite her age, Grandma is as tough as old boots.
The soldier was as tough as nails after years of training.
old — noun
1. the old: elderly people thought of as one group, especially when discussing thei
the old: elderly people thought of as one group, especially when discussing their needs or rights in society.
The new clinic offers free flu shots to the old and the very young.
the old (+ the young)
In many villages, the old are cared for at home rather than in nursing centres.
plural verb agreement: are
Government policy must protect the old from rising heating costs this winter.
Volunteers deliver hot meals to the old who live alone in this district.
- the old and the young
- care for the old
- the old and the sick
- the elderly
more polite and more common in everyday speech
- senior citizens
neutral; common in official or American contexts
- older people
softest and most respectful in modern usage
- the young
young people as a group
Grammar Patterns
the old
Usage Note
Always 'the old' (with 'the'), takes a plural verb, and never takes a plural 's'. Common in news articles, policy writing, and pairs like 'the old and the young', 'the rich and the poor'. In everyday speech, many speakers prefer 'older people' or 'the elderly' as a more respectful alternative.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- olderadjectiveA1
- oldestadjectiveA1
- oldnessnounC1
- oldenadjectiveC2
- old-fashionedadjectiveB1
- old-schooladjectiveB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
All five words describe something or someone who has lived or existed for a long time, but they differ in tone and scope. 'Old' is the everyday word and works for both people and things, though calling a person 'old' to their face can sound blunt or rude. 'Elderly' is a polite, more formal term used only for people, and it suggests someone past middle age but not necessarily very frail. 'Aged' is more literary; we read 'an aged king' in stories or news features, and it can also be paired with a number ('a man aged sixty'). 'Ancient' is much stronger: it suggests something that has existed for centuries — ancient ruins, ancient civilisations — and used jokingly about a person ('I feel ancient today!'). 'Antique' is narrower again: it refers to objects, especially furniture or jewellery, that are old enough to be valuable. Compare: 'an old chair in the kitchen' (just worn), 'an antique chair from 1820' (collectable), 'an ancient throne in the museum' (centuries old).
Common collocations
Nouns
- old age
- old man
- old woman
- old friend
- old days
- old times
- old house
- old car
Adverbs
- very old
- really old
- incredibly old
- centuries old
- fairly old
Phrases
- good old
- the good old days
- old enough to know better
- as old as the hills
Prepositions
- old for (a stage / audience)
- old enough to (do something)
- old at heart
Etymology
'Old' comes from Old English 'ald' or 'eald', meaning 'aged' or 'ancient'. This word is closely related to German 'alt' and Dutch 'oud', and all three trace back to a common Germanic root meaning 'grown up' or 'fully nourished' — originally the idea was someone who had reached full size and maturity. The same root gave English the word 'adult' (through Latin 'adultus', literally 'grown up'). Over the centuries, 'old' broadened from describing only living things that had matured to describing anything that has existed for a long time, including objects, ideas, and even languages.