age

noun

\ ˈāj

Definition of age

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : the time of life at which some particular qualification, power, or capacity arises or rests the voting age is 18 specifically : majority

b : one of the stages of life

c : the length of an existence extending from the beginning to any given time a boy 10 years of age

d : lifetime

e : an advanced stage of life

2 : a period of time dominated by a central figure or prominent feature the age of Pericles : such as

a : a period in history or human progress the age of reptiles the age of exploration

b : a cultural period marked by the prominence of a particular item entering the atomic age

c : a division of geologic time that is usually shorter than an epoch

3a : the period contemporary with a person's lifetime or with his or her active life

b : a long time —usually used in plural haven't seen him in ages

c : generation

4 : an individual's development measured in terms of the years requisite for like development of an average individual

age

verb

aged; aging or ageing

Definition of age (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

1 : to become old : show the effects or the characteristics of increasing age

2 : to acquire a desirable quality (such as mellowness or ripeness) by standing undisturbed for some time letting cheese age

transitive verb

1 : to cause to become old

2 : to bring to a state fit for use or to maturity

-age

noun suffix

Definition of -age (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : aggregate : collection trackage

2a : action : process haulage

b : cumulative result of breakage

c : rate of dosage

3 : house or place of orphanage

4 : state : rank peonage

5 : charge postage

Other Words from age Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about age

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Synonyms for age

Synonyms: Noun

day, epoch, era, period, time

Synonyms: Verb

develop, grow, grow up, mature, progress, ripen

Choose the Right Synonym for age

Noun

period, epoch, era, age mean a division of time. period may designate an extent of time of any length. periods of economic prosperity epoch applies to a period begun or set off by some significant or striking quality, change, or series of events. the steam engine marked a new epoch in industry era suggests a period of history marked by a new or distinct order of things. the era of global communications age is used frequently of a fairly definite period dominated by a prominent figure or feature. the age of Samuel Johnson

Examples of age in a Sentence

Noun

Some people are reluctant to reveal their ages. She died tragically at a young age. The treatment depends on the sex and age of the patient. She died at the ripe old age of 90. The movie appeals to people of all ages. Their son needs to spend more time with children his own age. a group of children ranging in age from 8 to 11 She became involved with a man twice her age. The program is for people over age 50. groups of people classified by race and age

Verb

As he aged he grew more and more bitter. You haven't aged a day since I saw you last! His troubles have aged him. Exposure to the sun has aged her skin. The wine ages in oak barrels. The wine is aged in oak barrels.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But my true passion between ages 12 and 16 was building model trains and planes. — Marc Myers, WSJ, "Don Chadwick Went from Building Model Plans to Creating Silicon Valley’s Favorite Seat," 15 Jan. 2019 Table tennis is a relatively accessible sport, open to all ages and types of athletes. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "A Look Inside the Challenging and Misunderstood Sport of Table Tennis," 9 Jan. 2019 According to Everyday Health, meditation can improve concentration, reduce stress, prevent cognitive decline, and keep your brain healthy and alert as you age. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Woman's Day, "30 Fun Things to Do By Yourself in Your Lifetime," 3 Jan. 2019 My family bought our van to make things easier for our motley crew of four, including my husband, myself, and our two kids ages six and three. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Why I love having a microwave in my camper van," 20 Dec. 2018 According to Google, the new vulnerability impacted 52.5 million users, who could have had profile information like their name, email address, occupation, and age exposed to developers, even if their account was set to private. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Facebook’s role in the French protests has polarized observers," 11 Dec. 2018 In addition to their twins, the pair also share a son and daughter around the ages of 8 and 6. — Taysha Murtaugh, Country Living, "Chris Stapleton's Wife Morgane Is Pregnant With Their Fifth Baby," 5 Nov. 2018 Gingerbread Jubilee FRI Holiday craft activities, music, gingerbread house construction zone, for all ages, 5 p.m. Friday, Ballard Community Center, 6020 28th Ave. — Madeline Mckenzie, The Seattle Times, "Community calendar: PhinneyWood Phestivus and other holiday events; ‘Sasquatch’ and ‘Bullitt’ Mustang exhibits," 12 Dec. 2018 Conservatives have been trading lurid conspiracy theories in their own media echo chamber for ages. — David Roberts, Vox, "The caravan “invasion” and America’s epistemic crisis," 2 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Per the trailer, Regina Hall's character Jordan Sanders is a powerful businesswoman who is de-aged into a 13-year-old by a kid who hopes to teach her a lesson. — Claire Dodson, Teen Vogue, ""Little" Trailer Features Marsai Martin as a De-Aged Regina Hall," 9 Jan. 2019 But while movies never age, people most certainly do. — Asher Fogle, Good Housekeeping, "See Peter Billingsley A.K.A. Ralphie From "A Christmas Story" Now at 47 Years Old," 20 Dec. 2018 That’s the premise for this beautifully illustrated book written for kids aged two to seven. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "The 17 best kids’ books about design and cities," 12 Dec. 2018 Look out for an enormous open show kitchen in the main Swiss restaurant, as well as Peruvian and cheese-focused eateries, and a spa with a focus on anti-aging. — Andrew Sessa, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Biggest Ski News in Europe This Season," 6 Dec. 2018 Thirty-one percent of the orders went to people aged 18 to 25. — Ted Andersen, SFChronicle.com, "Two-thirds of people banned from BART are black — and agency isn’t asking why," 6 July 2018 One study looking at 13,000 people published in the journal Pediatrics in July 2016, found that 10.5 percent of women aged 23 to 25 have used laxatives to try to lose weight. — Korin Miller, SELF, "5 Things You Need To Know About Using Laxatives For Weight Loss," 2 Jan. 2019 The show sometimes featured their four children, now aged 8 through 13. — Alexandra Wolfe, WSJ, "How an Argument Fueled the Rise of ‘Fixer Upper’ Star Joanna Gaines," 28 Dec. 2018 Jaimineey Patel, head of training at Blink Brow Bar, says eating a poor diet, along with not moisturizing and aging in general are among the top three factors that contribute to eyebrow hair loss. — Audrey Noble, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Expert Guide To Growing Your Eyebrows," 17 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'age.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for age

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French aage, age (earlier Old French edage, eage), from eé, aé "age, lifetime" (going back to Latin aetāt-, aetās, contraction of earlier aevitās, from aevum "time, lifetime" + -itāt-, -itās -ity) + -age -age — more at aye entry 3

Verb

Middle English agen, derivative of age age entry 1

Noun suffix

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin -āticum (as in viāticum "provision for a journey"), neuter of -āticus, adjective suffix of appurtenance, from -a- (probably generalized from verbal derivatives, as vēnāticus "used for hunting," from vēnārī "to hunt") + -ticus, borrowed from Greek -tikos, generalized from derivatives of agent nouns (as athlētikós athletic from athlḗtēs athlete

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Dictionary Entries near age

Statistics for age

Last Updated

19 Jan 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for age

The first known use of age was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for age

age

noun

English Language Learners Definition of age

(Entry 1 of 3)

: the amount of time during which a person or animal has lived

: the amount of time during which a thing has existed

: the time of life when a person does something or becomes legally able to do something

age

verb

English Language Learners Definition of age (Entry 2 of 3)

: to become old or older

: to cause (someone or something) to become old or to appear to be old

of food or drink : to be stored for a period of time in order to gain desired qualities

-age

noun suffix

English Language Learners Definition of -age (Entry 3 of 3)

: action, process, or result of

: total amount or collection

: house or place of

See the full definition for -age in the English Language Learners Dictionary

age

noun

\ ˈāj

Kids Definition of age

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : the amount of time during which someone or something has lived or existed The child was six years of age.

2 : the time of life when a person receives some right or capacity The voting age is 18.

3 : the later part of life His mind was active in age as in youth.

4 : the condition of being old The building is showing signs of age.

5 : a period of time associated with a person or thing the age of dinosaurs

6 : a long period of time It's been ages since we last saw you.

age

verb

aged\ ˈājd \; aging or ageing

Kids Definition of age (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : to become old or older As he aged, he grew more forgetful.

2 : to cause to become old or to appear to be old Her troubles have aged her.

3 : to remain or cause to remain undisturbed until fit for use : mature The cheese must age.

-age

noun suffix

\ ij\

Kids Definition of -age

1 : total amount : collection mileage

2 : action : process coverage

3 : result of coinage

4 : rate of shrinkage

5 : house or place of orphanage

6 : state : condition blockage

7 : fee : charge postage

age

noun

\ ˈāj

Medical Definition of age

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the part of life from birth to a given time a child 10 years of age

b : the time or part of life at which some particular event, qualification, or capacity arises, occurs, or is lost of reproductive age age of onset — see middle age

c : an advanced stage of life

2 : an individual's development measured in terms of the years requisite for like development of an average individual a child of 7 with a mental age of 10 — see binet age, mental age