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APG.American
Pronunciation Guide
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

old

/ˈoʊld/

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What does old mean?

adjective

  1. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.
  2. Of a living being, having lived for most of the expected years.
  3. Of a perishable item, having existed for most of, or more than, its shelf life.
More meanings (23)

adjective

  1. Of a species or language, belonging to a lineage that is distantly related to others.
  2. Having been used and thus no longer new or unused.
  3. Having existed or lived for the specified time.
  4. Former, previous.
  5. That is no longer in existence.
  6. Obsolete; out-of-date.
  7. Familiar.
  8. Being a graduate or alumnus of a school, especially a public school.
  9. Tiresome after prolonged repetition.
  10. Said of subdued colors, particularly reds, pinks and oranges, as if they had faded over time.
  11. A grammatical intensifier, often used in describing something positive, and combined with another adjective.
  12. (informal) Indicating affection and familiarity.
  13. Designed for a mature audience; unsuitable for children below a certain age.
  14. (obsolete) Excessive, abundant.

noun

  1. People who are old; old beings; the older generation, taken as a group.
  2. (slang) A person older than oneself, especially an adult in relation to a teenager.
  3. (slang) One's parents.
  4. A typically dark-coloured lager brewed by the traditional top-fermentation method.
  5. Abbreviation of online dating.
  6. Abbreviation of obsessive love disorder

proper noun

  1. Initialism of Oxford Latin Dictionary.
  2. A surname.
  3. A village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire district, Northamptonshire, England, previously in Daventry district (OS grid ref SP7873).
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Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈoʊld/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Alice laid her hand upon his arm, and said in a soothing tone, “You needn’t be so angry about an old rattle.”
Lewis CarrollThrough the Looking-GlassProject Gutenberg ebook #12
Behold, is there not an account concerning them of old, that they by their secret plans did obtain kingdoms and great glory?
Joseph, Jr. Smith; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsThe Book of Mormon : $b an account written by the hand of Mormon, upon plates taken from the plates of NephiProject Gutenberg ebook #17
More book examples (3)
It was almost compensation for my suffering to witness, once more, a manifestation of kindness from this, my once affectionate old mistress.
Frederick DouglassNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American SlaveProject Gutenberg ebook #23
On the shipbuilder’s part, this marriage was an infatuation, the despairing folly of a powerful man who cannot bear to grow old.
Willa CatherO Pioneers!Project Gutenberg ebook #24
“Hundred and seventeen,” chuckled another old gentleman, given to mental arithmetic and little conversation, who had hitherto sat unobserved in a corner.
Thomas HardyFar from the Madding CrowdProject Gutenberg ebook #27