Definition of "old"

old

/ˈəʊld/

adjective
comparative older or elder, superlative oldest or eldest or (US, dialectal) oldermost
1. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.
  Quotations
  They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.
  1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […]
  1. Of a living being, having lived for most of the expected years.
  2. Of a perishable item, having existed for most of, or more than, its shelf life.
  3. Of a species or language, belonging to a lineage that is distantly related others
2. Having been used and thus no longer new or unused.
3. Having existed or lived for the specified time.
4. (heading) Of an earlier time.
  1. Former, previous.
    Quotations
    The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; for, even after she had conquered her love for the Celebrity, the mortification of having been jilted by him remained.
    1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd.
    But over my old life, a new life had formed.
    1994, Michael Grumley, Life Drawing
  2. That is no longer in existence.
  3. Obsolete; out-of-date.
  4. Familiar.
    Quotations
    Adrian thought it worth while to try out his new slang. ‘I say, you fellows, here's a rum go. Old Biffo was jolly odd this morning. He gave me a lot of pi-jaw about slacking and then invited me to tea. No rotting! He did really.’
    1991, Stephen Fry, chapter III, in The Liar, London: William Heinemann, page 26
  5. (UK) Being a graduate or alumnus of a school, especially a public school.
5. Tiresome after prolonged repetition.
  Quotations
  Rik: But even great shtick can get old real fast: the dreaded Saturday Night Live syndrome.Jim: Randomness can help - many Living Books have characters that do different things each time you click on them.
  1995, MacUser, volume 11, MacUser Publications, page 147
  John and I built a small stone house on the head of “Bonetta” Canyon and had a hog killing time all by ourselves. Hunting was our delight at first, until it became old.
  2000, Charles A. Siringo, A Texas Cowboy: or, Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony, Penguin, page 100
  The songs start to get old real fast, and it's easy to get bored after the third song.
  2008, Homer L. Hall, Logan H. Aimone, High School Journalism, The Rosen Publishing Group, page 171
  It was the same old thing every week, working and drinking, working and drinking. It became old and I got really sick of it.
  2012, Blossom, From Under a Bridge Ii, Xlibris Corporation, page 40
6. Said of subdued colors, particularly reds, pinks and oranges, as if they had faded over time.
7. A grammatical intensifier, often used in describing something positive, and combined with another adjective.
8. (informal, of a person) Indicating affection and familiarity.
  Quotations
  Finally, when they were all done slobbering around, old Sally introduced us.
  1951, J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Little, Brown and Company, page 165
9. (obsolete) Excessive, abundant.
  Quotations
  URSULA: Madam, you must come to your uncle. Yonder's old coil at home: it is proved, my Lady Hero hath been falsely accused, the prince and Claudio mightily abused;
  1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act V, scene ii]
noun
plural olds
1. (with the, invariable plural only) People who are old; old beings; the older generation, taken as a group.
2. (slang) A person older than oneself, especially an adult in relation to a teenager.
3. (slang, most often plural) One's parents.
4. (Australia, uncountable) A typically dark-coloured lager brewed by the traditional top-fermentation method.
  Quotations
  We crossed to the pub on the corner of Carlisle Street and I ordered two schooners of old for him and one of light for me.
  2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 117