1
: of earlier birth or greater age
his elder brother
2
: of or relating to earlier times : former
3
archaic
: of or relating to a more advanced time of life
4
: prior or superior in rank, office, or validity
1
: one living in an earlier period
2
a
: one who is older : senior
a child trying to please her elders
b
: an aged person
3
: one having authority by virtue of age and experience
the village elders
4
: any of various officers of religious groups: such as
b
: a permanent officer elected by a Presbyterian congregation and ordained to serve on the session and assist the pastor at communion
c
d
: a leader of the Shakers
e
: a Latter-day Saint ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood
Examples of elder in a Sentence
Noun (2)
in that Asian society elders are accorded great respect
as your elder in the company, he is within his rights to tell you what to do
it wouldn't hurt to show a little more respect for your elders
as the elder of the contingent of living former presidents, he was accorded a place of highest honor at the ceremonies
Recent Examples on the Web
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
This is the final time in your lifetime that these two planetary elders will move together, direct, in Pisces.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 28 Nov. 2025
Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
To older people—to my elder millennial self, at times—these fantasies may feel like overcorrections.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Baby ponders love in all its rejuvenating and off-putting shapes, sweating with a husband and father’s devotion but sometimes with a son’s pining for a closer connection with an oaklike and unreadable elder.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
This is the final time in your lifetime that these two planetary elders will move together, direct, in Pisces.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 28 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Ernie Monia, who owned the Newton Avenue home and died in 2020, was granted an elder abuse restraining order against Rhone in 2017, according to The Times.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
To older people—to my elder millennial self, at times—these fantasies may feel like overcorrections.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder
Cite this Entry
“Elder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elder. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
elder
1 of 3 noun
el·der
ˈel-dər 
elder
2 of 3 adjective
: of greater age
the elder cousin
Etymology
Noun
Old English ellærn "elder tree"
Adjective
Old English ieldra, comparative form of eald "old"
Medical Definition
elder
noun
el·der
ˈel-dər
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