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old-timer

noun

ˈōl(d)-ˈtī-mər How to pronounce old-timer (audio)
Definition of old-timernext
1
as in elder
a person of advanced years a group of old-timers playing shuffleboard

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in veteran
a person with long experience in a specified area old-timers in the fishing industry couldn't remember a time when catches were so low

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of old-timer Cap Conover was an old-timer, having come from Wisconsin 20 years before to settle into a life of trapping on the river. — Anton Money, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026 The old-timers try to stay in touch. — Miami Herald, 27 May 2026 For every grousing old-timer who felt that Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was contaminating the genre came another who expressed sheer joy that such a show even existed. — Literary Hub, 18 May 2026 Some bargain hunters poked around, while a handful of old-timers walked the halls for exercise. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for old-timer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for old-timer
  1. elder
  2. veteran
  3. oldster
  4. adult
  5. geriatric
  6. ancient
Noun
  • Her plans include creating a ballroom, cultural and arts center where younger people can practice, newcomers can learn the history and elders can transfer their knowledge.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Borges may not be able to see the scenery, but delights in every scrap of local color, to a degree that the American — tasked with describing everything to his elder, in suitably lyrical terms — finds quite wearisome.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of elder
Noun
  • Cole, who is applying for veterans’ disability benefits, is counting on getting more help from the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP.
    — Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Circus veterans and musical-theater pros merge skills onstage, with performers learning trapeze, aerial work and puppetry under collaborative leaders who emphasize one unified troupe — and absolute trust during death-defying feats.
    — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of veteran
Noun
  • Enough with the oldsters, what about those kids?
    — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 June 2026
  • With each passing day, its oldster cast — including Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, and Geena Davis — is closer to the grave.
    — Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Definition of oldster
Noun
  • Obamacare expanded Medicaid, for example, to cover able-bodied, working-age adults.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026
  • But according to the study, half of upper-income adults—those earning above $155,600 annually—now also see themselves as working class.
    — Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of adult
Noun
  • The hospital complex in San Francisco was ranked top nationally in several specialties as well, including geriatrics, pulmonology — the treatment of respiratory conditions — and lung surgery.
    — Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The report rated hospital performance in 14 specialties or specialty areas, ranging from cancer to geriatrics to urology.
    — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of geriatric
Noun
  • The exhibit features several dozen dinosaur animatronics that fully loom and roar, and a virtual aquarium stocked with swimming ancients.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 21 May 2026
  • Sitting alone among these ancients can be a profound experience.
    — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Definition of ancient

Browse Nearby Words

old-time
old-timer
old-timers
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Cite this Entry

“Old-timer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old-timer. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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