Collocations for old - adj.
1. age
2. not young
VERBS
be,
feel,
look,
seem,
sound
The way the young people rushed around made her feel old.
He was beginning to look old.
The way the young people rushed around made her feel old.
He was beginning to look old.
become,
get,
grow
We're all getting older.
As they grow older, they develop new interests.
We're all getting older.
As they grow older, they develop new interests.
3. not new
PHRASES
oldest known
These are some of the oldest known fossil remains.
These are some of the oldest known fossil remains.
oldest remaining,
oldest surviving
It's one of the oldest remaining parts of the church.
the world's oldest surviving ship
It's one of the oldest remaining parts of the church.
the world's oldest surviving ship
4. shows affection/lack of respect
PHRASES
boring old,
silly old
(esp. BrE)
boring old history books
He's a silly old fool!
boring old history books
He's a silly old fool!
dear old,
good old
Good old Dad!
Good old Dad!
funny old
It's a funny old world.
It's a funny old world.
plain old
Why drink plain old water when you can have something better?
Why drink plain old water when you can have something better?
poor old
You poor old thing!
You poor old thing!
same old
It's always the same old faces.
It's always the same old faces.
Old is used with these nouns:
acquaintance, adversary, age, ally, armchair, associate, beam, boyfriend, building, cellar, chap, city, civilization, classic, cliché, client, clothes, convention, copy, couple, custom, customer, day, distinction, dogma, enemy, English, enmity, face, family, father, favourite, fellow, feud, foe, folk, fool, forest, friend, friendship, gag, garbage, girlfriend, grievance, ground, grudge, guy, habit, haunt, home, hotel, hymn, idea, injury, inn, joke, junk, lady, legend, magazine, male, man, manor, mansion, manuscript, maxim, memory, monastery, mother, mould, movie, mythology, nation, news, order, paint, people, person, photograph, ploy, prejudice, quarrel, quarter, rag, recipe, record, recording, regime, relative, religion, remedy, resentment, rhyme, rival, rivalry, road, romantic, routine, rubbish, ruin, rule, saying, self, shack, shoe, skill, slipper, slogan, sneaker, sock, soldier, soul, sparkle, spectre, stock, student, style, superstition, T-shirt, tale, tenement, thing, thinking, time, town, tradition, tree, trick, trunk, tune, tyre, uncle, variety, veteran, village, volume, warehouse, way, widow, wine, woman, world, wound
acquaintance, adversary, age, ally, armchair, associate, beam, boyfriend, building, cellar, chap, city, civilization, classic, cliché, client, clothes, convention, copy, couple, custom, customer, day, distinction, dogma, enemy, English, enmity, face, family, father, favourite, fellow, feud, foe, folk, fool, forest, friend, friendship, gag, garbage, girlfriend, grievance, ground, grudge, guy, habit, haunt, home, hotel, hymn, idea, injury, inn, joke, junk, lady, legend, magazine, male, man, manor, mansion, manuscript, maxim, memory, monastery, mother, mould, movie, mythology, nation, news, order, paint, people, person, photograph, ploy, prejudice, quarrel, quarter, rag, recipe, record, recording, regime, relative, religion, remedy, resentment, rhyme, rival, rivalry, road, romantic, routine, rubbish, ruin, rule, saying, self, shack, shoe, skill, slipper, slogan, sneaker, sock, soldier, soul, sparkle, spectre, stock, student, style, superstition, T-shirt, tale, tenement, thing, thinking, time, town, tradition, tree, trick, trunk, tune, tyre, uncle, variety, veteran, village, volume, warehouse, way, widow, wine, woman, world, wound