Try Our Apps


The Best Internet Slang


[ey-jing] /ˈeɪ dʒɪŋ/


[eyj] /eɪdʒ/
trees of unknown age; His age is 20 years.
He was over age for military duty.
one of the periods or stages of human life:
a person of middle age.
advanced years; old age:
His eyes were dim with age.
He was the most famous architect of the age.
a generation or a series of generations:
ages yet unborn.
a great length of time:
The age of a horse is from 25 to 30 years.
  1. a period of the history of the earth distinguished by some special feature:
    the Ice Age.
  2. a unit of geological time, shorter than an epoch, during which the rocks comprising a stage were formed.
  1. Poker. the first player at the dealer's left.
    Compare edge (def 10a).
  2. eldest hand.
to grow old:
He is aging rapidly.
to mature, as wine, cheese, or wood:
a heavy port that ages slowly.
to make old; cause to grow or seem old:
Fear aged him overnight.
to bring to maturity or a state fit for use:
to age wine.
of age, Law.
  1. being any of several ages, usually 21 or 18, at which certain legal rights, as voting or marriage, are acquired.
  2. being old enough for full legal rights and responsibilities.
Origin of age
Related forms
interage, adjective
preage, verb, preaged, preaging.
subage, noun
unaging, adjective
16. ripen, mellow, develop.
Synonym Study
Cite This Source
Examples from the Web for ageing
Contemporary Examples
Historical Examples
  • My niece (as I once called her) mortified me unintentionally; she said I was ageing.

    The Memoires of Casanova, Complete Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

    The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame
  • She too had altered: the scandal was ageing her, and Ansell came to the house daily.

    The Longest Journey E. M. Forster
  • Perhaps Hals was degenerating with the passing age—certainly he was ageing.

    Franz Hals Edgcumbe Staley
  • The crude logwood is generally subjected to a process of fermentation or "ageing."

    Leather K. J. Adcock
British Dictionary definitions for ageing


becoming or appearing older or elderly: an ageing car


the period of time that a person, animal, or plant has lived or is expected to live: the age of a tree, what age was he when he died?, the age of a horse is up to thirty years
  1. a period or state of human life: he should know better at his age, she had got beyond the giggly age
  2. (as modifier): age group
the latter part of life
  1. a period of history marked by some feature or characteristic; era
  2. (capital when part of a name): the Middle Ages, the Space Age
generation: the Edwardian age
(geology, palaeontol)
  1. a period of the earth's history distinguished by special characteristics: the age of reptiles
(often pl) (informal) a relatively long time: she was an age washing her hair, I've been waiting ages
(psychol) the level in years that a person has reached in any area of development, such as mental or emotional, compared with the normal level for his chronological age See also achievement age, mental age
age before beauty, (often said humorously when yielding precedence) older people take precedence over younger people
of age, adult and legally responsible for one's actions (usually at 18 or, formerly, 21 years)
verb ages, ageing, aging, aged
(brewing) to mature or cause to mature
Word Origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
Cite This Source
Word Origin and History for ageing



"to grow old," late 14c., from age (n.). Meaning "to make old" is early 15c. Related: Aged; aging.



late 13c., "long but indefinite period in human history," from Old French aage (11c., Modern French âge) "age; life, lifetime, lifespan; maturity," earlier edage, from Vulgar Latin *aetaticum (source of Spanish edad, Italian eta, Portuguese idade "age"), from Latin aetatem (nominative aetas), "period of life, age, lifetime, years," from aevum "lifetime, eternity, age," from PIE root *aiw- "vital force, life, long life, eternity" (see eon). Meaning "time something has lived, particular length or stage of life" is from early 14c. Used especially for "old age" since early 14c. Expelled native eld.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
ageing in Medicine

age (āj)

  1. To become old.

  2. To manifest traits associated with old age.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Cite This Source
Idioms and Phrases with ageing
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Cite This Source

Word of the Day

Difficulty index for ageing

Many English speakers likely know this word

Word Value for ageing

Scrabble Words With Friends

Nearby words for ageing