age

Universal Words noun, verb noun 1 [C,U] the number of years that a person has lived or a thing has existed: He left school at the age of 18. * She needs to find more friends of her own age. * children from 510 years of age * Young people of all ages go there to meet. * When I was your age I was already married. * He started playing the piano at an early age. * All ages admitted. * Children over the age of 12 must pay full fare. * She was beginning to feel her age (= feel that she was getting old). * ways of calculating the age of the earth 2 [C,U] a particular period of a person's life: middle age * 15 is an awkward age. * He died of old age. 3 [C] a particular period of history: the nuclear age * the age of the computer seealsoBRONZEAGE, IRONAGE, NEWAGE, STONEAGE 4 [U] the state of being old: Fine wine improves with age. * The jacket was showing signs of age. * the wisdom that comes with age 5 (ages) [pl.] (also an age [sing.]) (informal, especially BrE) a very long time: I waited for ages. * It'll probably take ages to find a parking space. * Carlos left ages ago. * It's been an age since we've seen them. IDIOMS be / act your age to behave in a way that is suitable for sb of your age and not as though you were much younger: Isn't it time you started acting your age? come of age 1 when a person comes of age, they reach the age when they have an adult's legal rights and responsibilities: The money will go to the children when they come of age. 2 if sth comes of age, it reaches the stage of development at which people accept and value it: It was the year that concern for the environment really came of age. look your age to seem as old as you really are and not younger or older: She doesn't look her age; I thought she was ten years younger. under age not legally old enough to do a particular thing: It is illegal to sell cigarettes to children who are under age. * under-age driving / drinking / sex moreatADVANCED, DAY, FEELv., GRANDadj., RIPE, TENDERadj. verb (aging, aged, aged) HELPNOTE In BrE the present participle can also be spelled ageing. 1 [V] to become older: As he aged, his memory got worse. * The population is aging (= more people are living longer). 2 [VN] to make sb/sth look, feel or seem older: The shock has aged her enormously. * Exposure to the sun ages the skin. * These photos have been artificially aged. 3 to develop in flavour over a period of time; to allow sth to do this: [V] The cheese is left to age for at least a year. * [VN] The wine is aged in oak casks.