Dictionary entries for 'age'

Synonyms

age (āj)

[Middle English, from Old French aage, from Vulgar Latin* aetāticum, from Latin aetās, aetāt-, age.]

noun

The length of time that one has existed; duration of life: 23 years of age.
The time of life when a person becomes qualified to assume certain civil and personal rights and responsibilities, usually at 18 or 21 years; legal age: under age; of age.
One of the stages of life: the age of adolescence; at an awkward age.
The state of being old; old age: hair white with age.
1. A period in the history of humankind marked by a distinctive characteristic or achievement: the Stone Age; the computer age.
2. A period in the history of the earth, usually shorter than an epoch: the Ice Age.
3. A period of time marked by the presence or influence of a dominant figure: the Elizabethan Age. See synonyms at period
1. The period of history during which a person lives: a product of his age.
2. A generation: ages yet unborn.
Informal An extended period of time: left ages ago.

To cause to become old.
To cause to mature or ripen under controlled conditions: aging wine.
To change (the characteristics of a device) through use, especially to stabilize (an electronic device).

To become old.
To manifest traits associated with old age.
To develop a certain quality of ripeness; become mature: cheese aging at room temperature. See synonyms at mature

age out: To reach an age, 18 or 21 years, for example, at which one is no longer eligible for certain special services, such as education or protection, from the state.