English Reference
Idiom idiom

on in years


Old; advanced in age.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

My grandfather is getting on in years.

CONTEXTUAL

Although he is getting on in years, he still walks to the park every single morning.

COMPLEX

The professor, though clearly on in years, retained a sharp intellect that commanded the respect of every student in the lecture hall.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    a year and a day

    A long time.

  2. 02

    banner year

    An especially fruitful year; a year of exceptional production.

  3. 03

    be a hundred years too early

    To be so immature and unprepared as to have no hope of achieving an accomplishment.

  4. 04

    donkey's years

    A long time, years and years.

  5. 05

    four score and seven years ago

    Used (sometimes sarcastically) to indicate that a past event being mentioned is particularly important: a long time ago; many years ago.

  6. 06

    golden years

    Old age; especially, the leisure years in later life after one has retired from employment.

  7. 07

    never in a million years

    Absolutely not.

  8. 08

    not in a million years

    Alternative form of never in a million years.

Last updated August 10, 2026