old-timer

noun

old-tim·​er ˈōl(d)-ˈtī-mər 

-ˌtī-mər

1

a

: veteran

b

: oldster

2

: something that is old-fashioned : antique

Synonyms

• elder
• oldster
• adult
• geriatric
• ancient

Examples of old-timer in a Sentence

a group of old-timers playing shuffleboard

old-timers in the fishing industry couldn't remember a time when catches were so low

Recent Examples on the Web

Here are more Denver old-timers preserving the city’s culinary and cultural past while inching toward the future, in alphabetical order. —John Wenzel, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2025

Inside, the multi-generational crowd united old-timers, who may well have been at some of the Dead’s first Golden Gate Park gigs decades ago with kids and young adults catching live Grateful Dead music for the first time. —Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 4 Aug. 2025

Fans of shared plates, Asian cuisine and old-timers who are curious to see how the former space of Wynwood Kitchen & Bar has evolved into a sleek restaurant with a gorgeous bar. —Constance Ogle, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025

But you old-timers might want to go back even further. —Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 31 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for old-timer

• alzheimer
• climber
• dimer
• eimer
• primer
• rhymer
• timer
• heterodimer

Kids Definition

old-timer

noun

old-tim·​er

ōl(d)-ˈtī-mər

1

a

: veteran sense 1

b

: oldster

2

: something old-fashioned