old

Universal Words adjective (older, oldest) age 1 be...years, months, etc. ~ of a particular age: The baby was only a few hours old. * In those days most people left school when they were only fifteen years old. * At thirty years old, he was already earning ｣40000 a year. * two fourteen-year-old boys * a class for five-year-olds (= children who are five) * I didn't think she was old enough for the responsibility. * How old is this building? not young 2 having lived for a long time; no longer young: to get / grow old * The old man lay propped up on cushions. * She was a woman grown old before her time (= who looked older than she was). OPPYOUNG 3 (the old) noun [pl.] old people: The old feel the cold more than the young. not new 4 having existed or been used for a long time: old customs / beliefs / habits * He always gives the same old excuses. * This carpet's getting pretty old now. OPPNEW 5 [onlybeforenoun] former; belonging to past times or a past time in your life: Things were different in the old days. * I went back to visit my old school. * Old and Middle English 6 [onlybeforenoun] used to refer to sth that has been replaced by sth else: We had more room in our old house. OPPNEW 7 [onlybeforenoun] known for a long time: She's an old friend of mine (= I have known her for a long time). * We're old rivals. compareRECENT good old / poor old 8 [onlybeforenoun] (spoken) used to show affection or a lack of respect: Good old Dad! * You poor old thing! * I hate her, the silly old cow! IDIOMS any old how (spoken) in a careless or untidy way: The books were piled up all over the floor any old how. as old as the hills very old; ancient any old... (spoken) any item of the type mentioned (used when it is not important which particular item is chosen): Any old room would have done. for old times' sake if you do sth for old times' sake, you do it because it is connected with sth good that happened to you in the past the good / bad old days an earlier period of time in your life or in history that is seen as better/worse than the present: That was in the bad old days of rampant inflation. of old (formal or literary) in or since past times: in days of old * We know him of old (= we have known him for a long time). old boy, chap, man, etc. (old-fashioned, BrE, informal) used by older men of the middle and upper classes as a friendly way of addressing another man old enough to be sb's father / mother (disapproving) very much older than sb (especially used to suggest that a romantic or sexual relationship between the two people is not appropriate) old enough to know better old enough to behave in a more sensible way than you actually did (have) an old head on young shoulders used to describe a young person who acts in a more sensible way than you would expect for a person of their age the (same) old story what usually happens: It's the same old story of a badly managed project with inadequate funding. an old wives' tale (disapproving) an old idea or belief that has been proved not to be scientific: the old wives' tale that make-up ruins the skin one of the old school an old-fashioned person who likes to do things as they were done in the past moreatCHIPn., GRANDadj., HEAVE-HO, HIGHadj., MONEY, RIPE, SETTLEv., TEACH, TOUGHadj., TRICKn. ______________________________ WHICHWORD? older / elder The usual comparative and superlative forms of old are older and oldest: My brother is older than me. * The palace is the oldest building in the city. In BrE you can also use elder and eldest when comparing the ages of people, especially members of the same family, although these words are not common in speech now. As adjectives they are only used before a noun and you cannot say 'elder than': my older/elder sister * the elder/older of their two children * I'm the eldest/oldest in the family. ______________________________