ages

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of age.

   The rock samples come from very different geological ages.

   Visitors of all ages enjoyed the interactive exhibits.

   UsageCommon in of all ages and between the ages of five and twelve. Old age and maturity have no such form.

2. 2
   long timenoun

   A long period of time, often felt as much longer than it really is.

   The repairs took ages, and the kitchen sat unusable for weeks.

   She spent ages searching the attic before finding the missing letters.

   UsageUsually in set frames: for ages, ages ago, it's been ages since. For is often dropped: waited ages.

   Similarforever, hours, years

   Note

   Exaggeration does the work in this plural, because nobody actually measures these ages. People complain about them instead. The word settles into a few frames: ages ago, for ages, ages until. It can also drop the preposition entirely, as in Katherine Mansfield's "He's been gone ages." Speakers stretch it by repetition. Kipling writes "ages and ages ago" in the 1880s, and a weary patient says "ages and ages and ages." Source

   Checked 7 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • Katherine Mansfield wrote the words "He's been gone ages." gutenberg.org
   • Kipling wrote "ages and ages ago." kiplingsociety.co.uk
   • The quoted dialogue appeared in The Week’s News on 21 April 1888; use 1888. kiplingsociety.co.uk
   • A patient used the words "ages and ages and ages" while describing waiting for medical care. eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk
3. 3
   grow oldverb

   Third-person singular simple present of age.

   Wine ages well when stored at a steady, low temperature.

   He ages gracefully, showing little sign of slowing down.

   UsageOften with well or gracefully: wine ages well, he ages gracefully.

   Note

   One spelling covers both directions of the verb. A person or a wine ages on its own. Someone can also age something else: a winemaker ages a vintage, and a forger ages a document to fake its date. Its role in the sentence distinguishes it from the plural noun. "She ages" is the verb, while "the ages of the children" is the noun.

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