age

1 /eIdZ/ noun

1 HOW OLD (C, U) the number of years someone has lived or something has existed: Francis is the same age as me. | The boys were six years apart in age. | There were dozens of kids there, all different ages. | at the age of (=when someone is a particular age): Marco won the Grand Prix at the age of 19. | 4/15 etc years of age formal (=4, 15 etc years old): The missing girl is 19 years of age. | at age 57/4/18 etc AmE (=when someone is 57 etc years old): Saul entered Yale at age 14. | at an early age (=very young): girls who become mothers at a very early age | act your age (=behave in a way that is suitable to how old you are) | sb's age (=how old someone is): When you get to my age, it's quite difficult getting up stairs. | for his/her age (=compared with others of the same age): She's very tall for her age, isn't she. | certain age: Kids get to a certain age and say, right, that's it, and they just go.

2 LEGAL AGE (U) the age when you are legally old enough to do something: What's the minimum age for getting a driver's license? | under age (=too young): You're not allowed to be drinking, you're under age. | over age (=too old): Dan's over age, so the army won't accept him.

3 PERIOD OF LIFE (C, U) one of the particular periods of someone's life: women of childbearing age | Phil's coming up to 13 - rather a difficult age.

-see also: old age, middle age, teenage

4 BEING OLD (U) the state or fact of being old: The newspapers were brown with age. | Age had given his face a sort of crumpled look.

5 PERIOD OF HISTORY (countable usually singular) a particular period of history: the last Ice Age | We are living in the computer age.

-see also: golden age, in this day and age day (29)

6 come of age

a) reach the age when you are legally considered to be a responsible adult

b) if something comes of age, it reaches a stage of development at which people accept is as being important, valuable etc: It was during this period that the movies really came of age as a creative art form.

7 ages (plural) also an age informal, especially BrE a long time: It'll be ages before we're ready to go. | for ages: Simon! I haven't seen you for ages! | it's (been) ages since: It's ages since we've played that game. | take ages: It takes ages to make that recipe.

2 verb present participle ageing or aging

1 (I, T) to start looking older or to make someone look older, especially because they have suffered a lot: Myra's recent illness has aged her considerably.

2 (I) to become older: The buildings are ageing, and some are unsafe.

3 (I) to improve and develop in quality and taste, over a period of time: a wine that has aged well