old

adjective

/əʊld/

(comparative older, superlative oldest)

Idioms

age年龄

of a particular age具体年龄；（多少）岁；年纪

be… years, months, etc. old The baby was only a few hours old.婴儿才出生几个小时。
In those days most people left school when they were only fifteen years old.那时候，大多数人上学只上到十五岁。
At thirty years old, he was already earning £40 000 a year.他三十岁时已拿到 4 万英镑的年薪了。
two fourteen-year-old boys两个十四岁的男孩
a class for five-year-olds (= children who are five)为五岁儿童开的班
I didn't think she was old enough for the responsibility.我认为她尚年轻，不足以担当此任。
He's not too old to play Romeo. 他还没老到不能演罗密欧。
How old is this building?这座建筑已有多少年了？
He's the oldest player in the team.他是队里年龄最大的队员。
She's much older than me.她的年龄比我大得多。
My two older sisters and I shared a bedroom. 我和两个姐姐共用一间卧室。

He's old enough by now to manage his own affairs.现在他已不小了，能处理自己的事情了。
You are as old as you feel.你感觉自己有多大岁数就有多大岁数。

Collocations Dictionaryverbs

be
feel
look
…

adverb

enough

phrases

six months, ten years, etc. old

not young不年轻

having lived for a long time; no longer young老的；年纪大的；不年轻的

to get/grow old上年纪
The old man lay propped up on cushions.老人靠在垫子上躺着。
a little old lady 一位小老太太
She was a woman grown old before her time (= who looked older than she was).她显得未老先衰。
He was beginning to look old.他开始露出老态了。
Tom was the last surviving member of the older generation of the family.汤姆是这个家庭老一辈中最后一个幸存的成员。

Synonyms oldold

elderly
aged
long-lived
mature

These words all describe somebody/something that has lived for a long time or that usually lives for a long time.

old
having lived for a long time; no longer young:
- She’s getting old—she’s 75 next year.她上年纪了，明年就 75 岁了。
elderly
(rather formal) used as a polite word for ‘old’:old 的委婉语，指年纪较大的、上了年纪的：
- She is very busy caring for two elderly relatives.她在忙着照顾两个年老的亲戚。
aged
(formal) very old:指年迈的、年老的：
- Having aged relatives to stay in your house can be quite stressful.年迈的亲戚住在家里有时压力相当大。
long-lived
having a long life; lasting for a long time:
- Everyone in my family is exceptionally long-lived.我们家每个人都特别长寿。
mature
used as a polite or humorous way of saying that somebody is no longer young:
- clothes for the mature woman成年妇女的服装

Patterns

a(n) old/elderly/aged/long-lived/mature man/woman
a(n) old/elderly/aged/mature gentleman/lady/couple

opposite young

She was fairly old when she got married.她结婚时年纪已相当大了。
The way the young people rushed about made her feel old.年轻人风风火火的样子让她感觉自己老了。
She's getting old—she's 75 next year.她上年纪了，明年就 75 岁了。
We're all getting older.我们都在变老。

Topics Life stagesa1

Collocations Dictionaryverbs

be
feel
look
…

adverb

extremely
fairly
very
…

the old

noun [plural] old people老年人

The old feel the cold more than the young.老年人比年轻人怕冷。

More Like This Plural adjectival nounsPlural adjectival nouns

the blind
the deaf
the destitute
the dead
the dying
the elderly
the faithful
the homeless
the injured
the insane
the jobless
the middle aged
the old
the poor
the rich
the sick
the squeamish
the wealthy
the wicked
the wounded
the young

Wordfinder

care home
dementia
frail
geriatric
mobility
the old
pensioner
retire
sprightly
widow

not new旧

having existed or been used for a long time存在（或使用）时间长的；陈旧的；古老的

old habits旧习惯
He always gives the same old excuses.他总是重复那些老掉牙的借口。
This carpet's getting pretty old now.这块地毯现在已经很旧了。
a beautiful old farmhouse 美丽的旧农舍

opposite new

Which Word? older / elderolder / elder

The usual comparative and superlative forms of old are older and oldest:old 的比较级和最高级通常为 older 和 oldest：
- My brother is older than me.我哥哥比我大。
- The palace is the oldest building in the city.这宫殿是城里最古老的建筑。
In British English you can also use elder and eldest when comparing the ages of people, especially members of the same family, although these words are not common in speech now. As adjectives they are only used before a noun and you cannot say ‘elder than’:
- my older/elder sister我的姐姐
- the elder/older of their two children他们的两个孩子中大的一个
- I’m the eldest/oldest in the family.我是家中的老大。

It's a very old tradition.这是一个非常古老的传统。
It's one of the oldest remaining parts of the church.这是教堂现存最古老的部分之一。
It's the world's oldest surviving ship.这是世界现存最古老的船。
These are some of the oldest trees in the world.这些是世界上一些最老的树。

Collocations Dictionaryverbs

adverb

extremely
fairly
very
…

phrases

oldest known
oldest remaining
oldest surviving
…

[only before noun] former; belonging to past times or a past time in your life过去的；从前的

Things were different in the old days.从前的情况可不一样。
I went back to visit my old school.我重访了母校。
Old and Middle English古英语和中古英语
People are still clinging to the old ways of thinking. 人们仍然坚持旧的思维方式。

[only before noun] used to refer to something that has been replaced by something else（用于指称被替代的东西）原来的，原先的

We had more room in our old house.我们原先的房子比较宽敞。
Mum and Dad bought us a fridge and gave us their old telly.妈妈和爸爸给我们买了一台冰箱，并把他们的旧电视给了我们。

opposite new

[only before noun] known for a long time相识时间长的；结识久的

She's an old friend of mine (= I have known her for a long time).她是我的一个老朋友。
We're old rivals.我们是老对头。
It's always the same old faces.总是那些老面孔。
The album includes both new titles and old favourites. 这张专辑既有新专辑，也有老专辑。

compare recent

good old/poor old可爱；可怜

[only before noun] (informal) used to show kind feelings or a lack of respect（表示亲昵或不敬）

Good old Dad!可爱的老爸！
You poor old thing!你这可怜的家伙！
I hate her, the silly old cow!我恨她，那个笨蛋老女人！

It's a funny old world.这是个极其有趣的世界。
Why drink plain old water when you can have something better?有好东西喝，为什么还喝白水？
They were having the same boring old conversation about school.他们在谈论同样无聊的关于学校的老话题。
As my dear old Grandma used to say…正如我亲爱的老奶奶常说的…

Collocations Dictionaryphrases

boring old
silly old
dear old
…

词源Old English ald, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch oud and German alt, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘adult’, shared by Latin alere ‘nourish’.

Idioms

any old…

(informal) any item of the type mentioned (used when it is not important which particular item is chosen)任何一个；随便哪个
- Any old room would have done.随便哪间屋子都行。

any old how

(informal) in a careless or untidy way随便地；凌乱地
- The books were piled up all over the floor any old how.地板上书堆得乱七八糟的，到处都是。

as old as the hills

very old; ancient古老的；悠久的
More Like This Similes in idioms
Similes in idioms
- (as) bald as a coot
- (as) blind as a bat
- (as) bright as a button
- (as) bold as brass
- as busy as a bee
- as clean as a whistle
- (as) dead as a/the dodo
- (as) deaf as a post
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) fit as a fiddle
- as flat as a pancake
- (as) good as gold
- (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare
- (as) miserable/ugly as sin
- as old as the hills
- (as) pleased/proud as Punch
- as pretty as a picture
- (as) regular as clockwork
- (as) quick as a flash
- (as) safe as houses
- (as) sound as a bell
- (as) steady as a rock
- (as) thick as two short planks
- (as) tough as old boots

be up to your (old) tricks

(informal, disapproving) to be behaving in the same bad way as before故伎重演；耍老花招
- He had soon spent all the money and was up to his old tricks.他很快就花光了所有的钱，开始玩他的老把戏。

a chip off the old block

(informal) a person who is very similar to their mother or father in the way that they look or behave（相貌或性格）酷似父亲或母亲的人

for old times’ sake

if you do something for old times’ sake, you do it because it is connected with something good that happened to you in the past看在旧日的情分上；念及老交情

give somebody the (old) heave-ho

(informal) to dismiss somebody from their job; to end a relationship with somebody解雇某人；同某人断绝关系

the good/bad old days

an earlier period of time in your life or in history that is seen as better/worse than the present往昔的好／苦日子
- That was in the bad old days of rampant inflation.那是在物价飞涨、生活艰难的往昔。

a/the grand old age (of…)

a great age高龄
- She finally learned to drive at the grand old age of 70.她终于在 70 岁高龄学会了开车。

a/the grand old man (of something)

a man who is respected in a particular profession that he has been involved in for a long time元老；资深前辈；老前辈
- James Lovelock, the grand old man of environmental science詹姆斯 · 洛夫洛克，环境科学的元老
CultureGrand Old Man was a title originally used to refer to William Gladstone, who spent many years in British politics in 19th century and was prime minister four times.

have a high old time

(old-fashioned, informal) to enjoy yourself very much玩得很开心

in old money

(British English, informal) used to give an amount, a measurement, etc. using older or more traditional units that may be more familiar to some people铁石心肠；不为所动
- The fish measured 29 centimetres (that's a foot in old money).这条鱼有29厘米长(那是旧币的1英尺)。

money for jam/old rope

(British English, informal) money that is earned very easily, for something that needs little effort容易赚的钱财
- The job only took about an hour—it was money for old rope.这项工作只花了大约一个小时——真是物超所值。

(there’s) no fool like an old fool

(saying) an older person who behaves in a stupid way is worse than a younger person who does the same thing, because experience should have taught him or her not to do it糊涂莫过老糊涂；老糊涂最糊涂

of old

(formal or literary) in or since past times在往昔；从以前
- in days of old从前
- We know him of old (= we have known him for a long time).我们认识他很久了。

old boy, chap, man, etc.

(old-fashioned, British English, informal) used by older men of the middle and upper classes as a friendly way of addressing another man（中上阶层男子对其他男子的友好称呼）老兄，伙计，哥们儿

old enough to be somebody’s father/mother

(disapproving) very much older than somebody (especially used to suggest that a romantic or sexual relationship between the two people is not appropriate)论年龄足以当某人的爹／娘（尤指双方在爱情或性关系方面不相配）

old enough to know better

old enough to behave in a more sensible way than you actually did已长大，该懂事了

(have) an old head on young shoulders

used to describe a young person who acts in a more sensible way than you would expect for a person of their age年轻老练；少年老成

the (same) old story

what usually happens惯常的事情；（仍旧是）那么回事
- It's the same old story of a badly managed project with inadequate funding.又是一桩资金短缺、经营不善的老故事。

an old wives’ tale

(disapproving) an old idea or belief that people now know is not correct不经之谈；不科学的陈腐思想

one of the old school

an old-fashioned person who likes to do things as they were done in the past守旧的人；保守派人物 see also old school

a/the ripe old age (of…)

an age that is considered to be very old（…的）高龄
- He lived to the ripe old age of 91.他活到了 91 岁的高龄。

settle a score/accounts (with somebody) | settle an old score

to hurt or punish somebody who has harmed or cheated you in the past（和某人）算账，清算旧账；报复（某人）
- ‘Who would do such a thing?’ ‘Maybe someone with an old score to settle.’“谁做得出这样的事呢？” “也许是结有宿怨的人吧。”
- An embittered Charlotte is determined to settle accounts with Elizabeth.怀恨在心的夏洛特决心和伊丽莎白算账。

(you can’t) teach an old dog new tricks

(saying) (you cannot) successfully make people change their ideas, methods of work, etc., when they have had them for a long time老大（不）可教；（无法）改变人们长时间形成的思想（或做事方法等）

(as) tough as old boots | (as) tough as nails (informal)

very strong and able to deal successfully with difficult conditions or situations很强壮；坚韧不拔；雷打不动
- She’s almost 90 but she’s still as tough as old boots.她快90岁了，但仍然像旧靴子一样坚韧。
Similes in idioms

词汇	old
释义	old adjective /əʊld/ /əʊld/ (comparative older, superlative oldest) Idioms age年龄 of a particular age具体年龄；（多少）岁；年纪 be… years, months, etc. old The baby was only a few hours old.婴儿才出生几个小时。 In those days most people left school when they were only fifteen years old.那时候，大多数人上学只上到十五岁。 At thirty years old, he was already earning £40 000 a year.他三十岁时已拿到 4 万英镑的年薪了。 two fourteen-year-old boys两个十四岁的男孩 a class for five-year-olds (= children who are five)为五岁儿童开的班 I didn't think she was old enough for the responsibility.我认为她尚年轻，不足以担当此任。 He's not too old to play Romeo. 他还没老到不能演罗密欧。 How old is this building?这座建筑已有多少年了？ He's the oldest player in the team.他是队里年龄最大的队员。 She's much older than me.她的年龄比我大得多。 My two older sisters and I shared a bedroom. 我和两个姐姐共用一间卧室。 He's old enough by now to manage his own affairs.现在他已不小了，能处理自己的事情了。 You are as old as you feel.你感觉自己有多大岁数就有多大岁数。 Collocations Dictionaryverbs be feel look … adverb enough phrases six months, ten years, etc. old not young不年轻 having lived for a long time; no longer young老的；年纪大的；不年轻的 to get/grow old上年纪 The old man lay propped up on cushions.老人靠在垫子上躺着。 a little old lady 一位小老太太 She was a woman grown old before her time (= who looked older than she was).她显得未老先衰。 He was beginning to look old.他开始露出老态了。 Tom was the last surviving member of the older generation of the family.汤姆是这个家庭老一辈中最后一个幸存的成员。 Synonyms oldold elderly aged long-lived mature These words all describe somebody/something that has lived for a long time or that usually lives for a long time. old having lived for a long time; no longer young: She’s getting old—she’s 75 next year.她上年纪了，明年就 75 岁了。 elderly (rather formal) used as a polite word for ‘old’:old 的委婉语，指年纪较大的、上了年纪的： She is very busy caring for two elderly relatives.她在忙着照顾两个年老的亲戚。 aged (formal) very old:指年迈的、年老的： Having aged relatives to stay in your house can be quite stressful.年迈的亲戚住在家里有时压力相当大。 long-lived having a long life; lasting for a long time: Everyone in my family is exceptionally long-lived.我们家每个人都特别长寿。 mature used as a polite or humorous way of saying that somebody is no longer young: clothes for the mature woman成年妇女的服装 Patterns a(n) old/elderly/aged/long-lived/mature man/woman a(n) old/elderly/aged/mature gentleman/lady/couple opposite young She was fairly old when she got married.她结婚时年纪已相当大了。 The way the young people rushed about made her feel old.年轻人风风火火的样子让她感觉自己老了。 She's getting old—she's 75 next year.她上年纪了，明年就 75 岁了。 We're all getting older.我们都在变老。 Topics Life stagesa1 Collocations Dictionaryverbs be feel look … adverb extremely fairly very … the old noun [plural] old people老年人 The old feel the cold more than the young.老年人比年轻人怕冷。 More Like This Plural adjectival nounsPlural adjectival nouns the blind the deaf the destitute the dead the dying the elderly the faithful the homeless the injured the insane the jobless the middle aged the old the poor the rich the sick the squeamish the wealthy the wicked the wounded the young Wordfinder care home dementia frail geriatric mobility the old pensioner retire sprightly widow not new旧 having existed or been used for a long time存在（或使用）时间长的；陈旧的；古老的 old habits旧习惯 He always gives the same old excuses.他总是重复那些老掉牙的借口。 This carpet's getting pretty old now.这块地毯现在已经很旧了。 a beautiful old farmhouse 美丽的旧农舍 opposite new Which Word? older / elderolder / elder The usual comparative and superlative forms of old are older and oldest:old 的比较级和最高级通常为 older 和 oldest： My brother is older than me.我哥哥比我大。 The palace is the oldest building in the city.这宫殿是城里最古老的建筑。 In British English you can also use elder and eldest when comparing the ages of people, especially members of the same family, although these words are not common in speech now. As adjectives they are only used before a noun and you cannot say ‘elder than’: my older/elder sister我的姐姐 the elder/older of their two children他们的两个孩子中大的一个 I’m the eldest/oldest in the family.我是家中的老大。 It's a very old tradition.这是一个非常古老的传统。 It's one of the oldest remaining parts of the church.这是教堂现存最古老的部分之一。 It's the world's oldest surviving ship.这是世界现存最古老的船。 These are some of the oldest trees in the world.这些是世界上一些最老的树。 Collocations Dictionaryverbs be adverb extremely fairly very … phrases oldest known oldest remaining oldest surviving … [only before noun] former; belonging to past times or a past time in your life过去的；从前的 Things were different in the old days.从前的情况可不一样。 I went back to visit my old school.我重访了母校。 Old and Middle English古英语和中古英语 People are still clinging to the old ways of thinking. 人们仍然坚持旧的思维方式。 [only before noun] used to refer to something that has been replaced by something else（用于指称被替代的东西）原来的，原先的 We had more room in our old house.我们原先的房子比较宽敞。 Mum and Dad bought us a fridge and gave us their old telly.妈妈和爸爸给我们买了一台冰箱，并把他们的旧电视给了我们。 opposite new [only before noun] known for a long time相识时间长的；结识久的 She's an old friend of mine (= I have known her for a long time).她是我的一个老朋友。 We're old rivals.我们是老对头。 It's always the same old faces.总是那些老面孔。 The album includes both new titles and old favourites. 这张专辑既有新专辑，也有老专辑。 compare recent good old/poor old可爱；可怜 [only before noun] (informal) used to show kind feelings or a lack of respect（表示亲昵或不敬） Good old Dad!可爱的老爸！ You poor old thing!你这可怜的家伙！ I hate her, the silly old cow!我恨她，那个笨蛋老女人！ It's a funny old world.这是个极其有趣的世界。 Why drink plain old water when you can have something better?有好东西喝，为什么还喝白水？ They were having the same boring old conversation about school.他们在谈论同样无聊的关于学校的老话题。 As my dear old Grandma used to say…正如我亲爱的老奶奶常说的… Collocations Dictionaryphrases boring old silly old dear old … 词源Old English ald, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch oud and German alt, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘adult’, shared by Latin alere ‘nourish’. Idioms any old… (informal) any item of the type mentioned (used when it is not important which particular item is chosen)任何一个；随便哪个 Any old room would have done.随便哪间屋子都行。 any old how (informal) in a careless or untidy way随便地；凌乱地 The books were piled up all over the floor any old how.地板上书堆得乱七八糟的，到处都是。 as old as the hills very old; ancient古老的；悠久的 More Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms (as) bald as a coot (as) blind as a bat (as) bright as a button (as) bold as brass as busy as a bee as clean as a whistle (as) dead as a/the dodo (as) deaf as a post (as) dull as ditchwater (as) fit as a fiddle as flat as a pancake (as) good as gold (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare (as) miserable/ugly as sin as old as the hills (as) pleased/proud as Punch as pretty as a picture (as) regular as clockwork (as) quick as a flash (as) safe as houses (as) sound as a bell (as) steady as a rock (as) thick as two short planks (as) tough as old boots be up to your (old) tricks (informal, disapproving) to be behaving in the same bad way as before故伎重演；耍老花招 He had soon spent all the money and was up to his old tricks.他很快就花光了所有的钱，开始玩他的老把戏。 a chip off the old block (informal) a person who is very similar to their mother or father in the way that they look or behave（相貌或性格）酷似父亲或母亲的人 for old times’ sake if you do something for old times’ sake, you do it because it is connected with something good that happened to you in the past看在旧日的情分上；念及老交情 give somebody the (old) heave-ho (informal) to dismiss somebody from their job; to end a relationship with somebody解雇某人；同某人断绝关系 the good/bad old days an earlier period of time in your life or in history that is seen as better/worse than the present往昔的好／苦日子 That was in the bad old days of rampant inflation.那是在物价飞涨、生活艰难的往昔。 a/the grand old age (of…) a great age高龄 She finally learned to drive at the grand old age of 70.她终于在 70 岁高龄学会了开车。 a/the grand old man (of something) a man who is respected in a particular profession that he has been involved in for a long time元老；资深前辈；老前辈 James Lovelock, the grand old man of environmental science詹姆斯 · 洛夫洛克，环境科学的元老 CultureGrand Old Man was a title originally used to refer to William Gladstone, who spent many years in British politics in 19th century and was prime minister four times. have a high old time (old-fashioned, informal) to enjoy yourself very much玩得很开心 in old money (British English, informal) used to give an amount, a measurement, etc. using older or more traditional units that may be more familiar to some people铁石心肠；不为所动 The fish measured 29 centimetres (that's a foot in old money).这条鱼有29厘米长(那是旧币的1英尺)。 money for jam/old rope (British English, informal) money that is earned very easily, for something that needs little effort容易赚的钱财 The job only took about an hour—it was money for old rope.这项工作只花了大约一个小时——真是物超所值。 (there’s) no fool like an old fool (saying) an older person who behaves in a stupid way is worse than a younger person who does the same thing, because experience should have taught him or her not to do it糊涂莫过老糊涂；老糊涂最糊涂 of old (formal or literary) in or since past times在往昔；从以前 in days of old从前 We know him of old (= we have known him for a long time).我们认识他很久了。 old boy, chap, man, etc. (old-fashioned, British English, informal) used by older men of the middle and upper classes as a friendly way of addressing another man（中上阶层男子对其他男子的友好称呼）老兄，伙计，哥们儿 old enough to be somebody’s father/mother (disapproving) very much older than somebody (especially used to suggest that a romantic or sexual relationship between the two people is not appropriate)论年龄足以当某人的爹／娘（尤指双方在爱情或性关系方面不相配） old enough to know better old enough to behave in a more sensible way than you actually did已长大，该懂事了 (have) an old head on young shoulders used to describe a young person who acts in a more sensible way than you would expect for a person of their age年轻老练；少年老成 the (same) old story what usually happens惯常的事情；（仍旧是）那么回事 It's the same old story of a badly managed project with inadequate funding.又是一桩资金短缺、经营不善的老故事。 an old wives’ tale (disapproving) an old idea or belief that people now know is not correct不经之谈；不科学的陈腐思想 one of the old school an old-fashioned person who likes to do things as they were done in the past守旧的人；保守派人物 see also old school a/the ripe old age (of…) an age that is considered to be very old（…的）高龄 He lived to the ripe old age of 91.他活到了 91 岁的高龄。 settle a score/accounts (with somebody) \| settle an old score to hurt or punish somebody who has harmed or cheated you in the past（和某人）算账，清算旧账；报复（某人） ‘Who would do such a thing?’ ‘Maybe someone with an old score to settle.’“谁做得出这样的事呢？” “也许是结有宿怨的人吧。” An embittered Charlotte is determined to settle accounts with Elizabeth.怀恨在心的夏洛特决心和伊丽莎白算账。 (you can’t) teach an old dog new tricks (saying) (you cannot) successfully make people change their ideas, methods of work, etc., when they have had them for a long time老大（不）可教；（无法）改变人们长时间形成的思想（或做事方法等） (as) tough as old boots \| (as) tough as nails (informal) very strong and able to deal successfully with difficult conditions or situations很强壮；坚韧不拔；雷打不动 She’s almost 90 but she’s still as tough as old boots.她快90岁了，但仍然像旧靴子一样坚韧。 Similes in idioms
随便看	set-aside_2 set-asides set back setback set-back setbacks set book set-book set down set-down set eyes on set eyes on sb set eyes on sth set fair set fair for set fair (for sth) set fair to set fair (to do something/for something) set fair (to do sth) set fair (to do sth/for sth) set foot in set foot in/on something set foot in/on sth set foot in sth set foot on