age
noun uk/eɪdʒ/ us/eɪdʒ/
(TIME SPENT ALIVE)
A1 [ C or U ]年龄，年纪;存在时间
the period of time someone has been alive or something has existed
Do you know the age of that building? 你知道那座楼的历史有多久吗？
What age (= how old) is your brother? 你弟弟多大了？
I'd guess she's about my age (= she is about as old as I am). 我猜她和我年龄差不多。
She was 74 years of age when she wrote her first novel. 她写第一部小说时是74岁。
He left home at the age of 16. 他16岁时离开了家。
I was married with four children at your age. 像你这么大的时候我已经结了婚并且有了4个孩子。
She's starting to show/look her age (= to look as old as she is). 她开始看上去与实际年龄一般大了。
I'm really beginning to feel my age (= feel old). 我真的开始觉得老了。
His girlfriend's twice his age (= twice as old as he is). 他的女朋友年龄比他大一倍。
act your age! 别孩子气！成熟点吧！
said to someone to tell them to stop behaving like someone who is much younger
Boys, act your age, please!
You need to grow up and act your age!
You're too old for silly pranks like this. I really wish you would just act your age.
Come on, act your age! That food is for eating not for playing with!
Just act your age and apologize to her!
the age of consent （可发生性行为的）法定年龄
the age at which someone is considered by the law to be old enough to agree to have sex with someone
This state finally raised the age of consent to 16 last year.
People who know him claim that he regularly has relationships with girls who are below the age of consent.
The relationship was consensual and they were both above the age of consent.
That year she turned 16, the age of consent in her state.
- More examples
- Prokofiev started composing at the age of five.
- She's getting very forgetful in her old age.
- He's very mature for his age.
- He became a professional athlete at the age of 16.
- Hilary's the same age as me.
(PERIOD)
B1 [ C ]时代；时期
a particular period in time
the Victorian age 维多利亚时代
the modern age 现代
the nuclear age 核时代
- More examples
- the age of imperialism
- It's time this company moved into the computer age.
- The neolithic period is sometimes called the new stone age.
- Service industries such as tourism have become more important in the post-industrial age.
- Rousseau, that great prophet of the modern age
(LONG TIME)
ages B1 [ plural ] informal (also mainly UK an age [ S ]) 很长时间
a very long time
It takes ages to cook. 做饭要花很长时间。
I've been waiting for ages. 我已经等了很长时间了。
It's been ages/an age since we last spoke. 我们好长时间没有交谈了。
My sister always spends ages in the bathroom getting ready for the day.
(BEING OLD)
C2 [ U ]年老;衰老;老化;陈年
the fact of being or getting older
Her back was bent with age. 随着年事增高，她的背驼了。
This cheese/wine improves with age. 这种奶酪／酒放的时间越长越好。
Her temper hasn't improved with age! 她的脾气一点没有随着年龄增长而变好！
- More examples
- Sunbathing can prematurely age and wrinkle the skin.
- She's aged a lot since we last saw her.
- The death of his wife had aged him greatly.
- A great deal of research has examined the effects of ageing on our physical and mental capacities.
- The whisky is aged for at least two years in oak barrels.
Idiom
come of ageidiom 满法定年龄;成年
to reach the age when you are legally recognized as an adult
成熟；发达
If something has come of age, it has reached its full successful development.
age
verb [ I or T ] uk/eɪdʒ/ us/eɪdʒ/ present participle ageing or aging | aged
衰老，使…显得苍老
If someone ages or something ages them, they look older.
She's aged since the last time we met. 她显得比我们上次见面时老了。
（使）发酵，（使）变陈
to develop in flavour or leave something to do this
The brandy is aged in oak for ten years. 这种白兰地在橡木桶中陈酿了10年。
- More examples
- Sunbathing can prematurely age and wrinkle the skin.
- She's aged a lot since we last saw her.
- The death of his wife had aged him greatly.
- A great deal of research has examined the effects of ageing on our physical and mental capacities.
- The whisky is aged for at least two years in oak barrels.