ago

adjective or adverb

ə-ˈgō 

: earlier than the present time

10 years ago

Synonyms of ago

• since

Examples of ago in a Sentence

he left here long ago

Recent Examples on the Web

Those contrasting trends led in part to General Mills' North American pet segment posting net sales that were roughly in line with the year-ago period. — Catriona Marangi, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026

Throughout August, the San Pedro Bay gateway moved 919,992 TEUs, up 2 percent from the year-ago month. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026

Average pricing is up between 1% and 2% compared to the year-ago rates, when increases hovered between 5% and 6%. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Sep. 2026

In equities trading, GameStop surged more than 5% before the market opened after the video game retailer provided a preliminary second-quarter earnings outlook above its year-ago results. — ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ago, agon, from past participle of agon "to go away, pass by, pass away, come to an end," going back to Old English āgān "to go away, depart, (of time) pass," from ā-, perfective prefix + gān "to go entry 1" — more at abide

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ago

• a long time ago
• long ago
• not long ago
• not so long ago
• some time ago

Rhymes for ago

• acknow
• aglow
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau
• bateau

Kids Definition

ago

adjective or adverb

ə-ˈgō 

: earlier than the present time

many years ago