# ages

/ˈeɪdʒəz/ (US) · /ˈeɪdʒɪz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ages
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a long time

noun · CEFR A2 · Informal

a very long time.

For teachers: a long duration of time; frequently used hyperbolically in spoken English.

- I haven't seen my cousin for ages because she moved to Australia.
- It took ages for the waiter to bring our drinks, even though the restaurant was nearly empty at the time.

Usage: Usually follows the preposition 'for' or 'in'.

### 2. how old people are

noun · CEFR A2

the number of years that different people have lived.

For teachers: the plural form of age, referring to the lengths of time individuals have existed.

- The children in the class are all different ages.
- The survey collected data from participants of all ages to ensure the results represented the entire community.

### 3. historical periods

noun · CEFR B1

long periods of history, like the Middle Ages.

For teachers: distinct periods of history characterized by specific features or developments.

- We studied the different ages of human history in school.
- The museum features artifacts from the Bronze and Iron Ages, showing how tools evolved over thousands of years.

## Examples

- I haven't seen my brother for ages.
- We stood in line for ages before the ticket office finally opened.
- The software update took ages to download, frustrating the developers who were already working against a tight deadline for the product launch.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.