older

1. 在英国英语中，比较人的年龄，尤其是家庭成员的年龄时亦可用elder和eldest，不过这种说法在口语中已不常见；作形容词时它们只能用于名词前，而且不说elder than：
   In BrE you can also use elder and eldest when comparing the ages of people, especially members of the same family, although these words are not common in speech now. As adjectives they are only used before a noun and you cannot say ‘elder than’.
   1. My brother is older than me.
      我哥哥比我大。
   2. The palace is the oldest building in the city.
      这宫殿是城里最古老的建筑。
   3. my older/elder sister
      我的姐姐
   4. the elder/older of their two children
      他们的两个孩子中大的那个
   5. I’m the eldest/oldest in the family.
      我是家中的老大。

1. ADJ-GRADED 年老的；年纪大的；不年轻的
   Someone who is old has lived for many years and is no longer young.
   1. ...a white-haired old man...
      白发老人
   2. He was considered too old for the job.
      他被认为年纪太大,不适合做这份工作。
   3. The old are people who are old.
      （总称）老年人
   4. ...providing a caring response for the needs of the old and the handicapped.
      对老年人和残疾人的需求予以关心照顾
2. ADJ （人）…岁的；（事物）存在…久的
   You use old to talk about how many days, weeks, months, or years someone or something has lived or existed.
   1. He was abandoned by his father when he was three months old...
      他3个月大的时候被父亲遗弃了。
   2. The paintings in the chapel were perhaps a thousand years old...
      小教堂里的这些画可能有1,000年的历史了。
   3. How old are you now?...
      你现在多大了？
   4. These weren't young kids, they were as old as I was...
      他们不是小孩子，他们跟我一样大。
   5. Bill was six years older than David.
      比尔比戴维大6岁。
3. ADJ-GRADED 古老的；长久的；历史悠久的
   Something that is old has existed for a long time.
   1. She loved the big old house...
      她喜欢这幢古老的大房子。
   2. These books must be very old.
      这些书肯定有好些年头了。
   3. ...an old Arab proverb.
      一句古老的阿拉伯谚语
   4. ...her old habit of criticizing his speech...
      她总是要对他的发言提出批评的老习惯
   5. Ethnic tensions are an old problem here.
      种族矛盾是该地区由来已久的问题。
4. ADJ-GRADED 陈旧的；破旧的
   Something that is old is no longer in good condition because of its age or because it has been used a lot.
   1. He took a bunch of keys from the pocket of his old corduroy trousers.
      他从破旧的灯芯绒裤子口袋里掏出一串钥匙。
   2. ...an old toothbrush.
      一把旧牙刷
5. ADJ 旧时的；过去的；从前的；过时的
   You use old to refer to something that is no longer used, that no longer exists, or that has been replaced by something else.
   1. The old road had disappeared under grass and heather...
      从前的那条路已经消失在杂草和欧石南丛中。
   2. Although the old secret police have been abolished, the military police still exist...
      虽然旧时的秘密警察业已废除，但宪兵队依然存在。
   3. In the old Liberal party the peace movement was a powerful voice.
      和平运动在过去的自由党内呼声很强。
6. ADJ 原来（属于自己）的；原先（生活中）的
   You use old to refer to something that used to belong to you, or to a person or thing that used to have a particular role in your life.
   1. I'll make up the bed in your old room...
      我会把你原来房间的床铺整理好。
   2. I still have affection for my old school...
      我依然眷恋着母校。
   3. Mark was heartbroken when Jane returned to her old boyfriend.
      简同前男友旧情复燃，这使马克心都碎了。
7. ADJ-GRADED （朋友）相识已久的；（敌人）结有宿怨的；（对手）长期竞争的
   An old friend, enemy, or rival is someone who has been your friend, enemy, or rival for a long time.
   1. I called my old friend John Horner...
      我给老朋友约翰·霍纳打了电话。
   2. Mr Brownson, I assure you King's an old enemy of mine...
      布朗森先生，我向你保证金是我的老冤家。
   3. The French and English are old rivals.
      法国人跟英国人是老对头。
8. ADJ （表示亲昵）老…
   You can use old to express affection when talking to or about someone you know.
   1. Are you all right, old chap?...
      你还好吗，老家伙？
   2. Good old Bergen would do him the favor.
      好心肠的老伯根会帮他这个忙的。
9. PHRASE 随便哪个/不是随便哪个
   You use any old to emphasize that the quality or type of something is not important. If you say that a particular thing is not any old thing, you are emphasizing how special or famous it is.
   1. Any old paper will do...
      随便一张旧报纸就行。
   2. The portraits and sumptuous ornaments, and the gold clock, show that this is not just any old front room.
      墙上挂的画像、奢华的装饰和那座金钟都表明这可不是一间普普通通的客厅。
10. PHRASE 以前；从前
    In the old days means in the past, before things changed.
    1. In the old days we got a visit from the vet maybe once a year.
       以前，兽医大概每年来我们这里出诊一次。
11. PHRASE 往昔的好日子；过去的好时光
    When people refer to the good old days, they are referring to a time in the past when they think that life was better than it is now.
    1. He remembers the good old days when everyone in his village knew him and you could leave your door open at night.
       他还记得村里人互相熟识、可以夜不闭户的美好往昔。
12. PHRASE 昔日的；往日的；古时的
    If you talk about people or things of old, you are referring to people or things that existed long ago but which no longer exist, or no longer exist in the same form.
    1. ...the warrior knights of old.
       旧时骁勇善战的骑士
    2. ...a programme of work to recreate the Sherwood Forest of old.
       重现古时舍伍德森林的工程
13. you can't teach an old dog new tricks → see: dog

1. The older child should be able to prepare a simple meal
   那个年纪稍大的孩子应当会做一顿简单的饭菜。
2. The judge thought he'd been led astray by older children.
   法官认为他已经被那些年长的孩子们带坏了。
3. When I backed out of the 100 metres, an older kid tried to browbeat me into it.
   我要退出100米比赛的时候，一个年纪大些的孩子试图吓唬我就范。
4. As I grow older, I like to reread the classics regularly.
   随着年龄渐长，我喜欢经常重读经典著作。
5. As children grow older, their cognitive processes become sharper.
   孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
6. Whether older women miscarry more often or whether they report more miscarriages is a debatable point.
   究竟是年纪大的女性更容易流产还是她们报告了更多流产事例，这一点仍存在争议。
7. As people grow older they generally become less dexterous.
   随着年龄的增长，人通常会变得不再那么手巧。
8. Older Americans are among this country's most faithful voters.
   较年长的美国人是这个国家最忠实的选民群体之一。
9. I always played football with my older brother because I was good for my age.
   我经常跟哥哥一起踢足球，因为就我的年龄而论我的球技还算不错。
10. The children give her hell, particularly the older boys.
    这些孩子让她吃足了苦头，特别是那些年龄大一点的男孩子。
11. Older mothers tend to be too idealistic about the pleasures of motherhood.
    较年长的母亲往往对身为人母的乐趣过于理想化。
12. As Hugh grew older, she had less influence and couldn't control him
    休慢慢长大，她的影响力变小了，无法再控制他了。
13. By the time we had made landfall the boat looked ten years older!
    等到我们登陆时，这艘船看似已老了10年！
14. An older man came out with a little dog on a lead.
    一个年纪较大的男子牵着一条小狗走了出来。
15. The last of the older children had left for school.
    年龄较大的几个孩子中，最后一个也已经上学去了。
16. I ventured the idea that the secret of staying young was to mix with older people
    我大胆地提出了这样的观点：保持年轻的秘诀就在于和年长的人交往。
17. When he got older I nicknamed him Little Alf
    当他大一点时，我给他起了个“小阿尔夫”的绰号。
18. What is this current television obsession with older men and nubile young women?
    现在的电视节目为什么这么喜欢描写老男人和妙龄性感女郎的故事呢？
19. He was so much older than me, older even than my papa.
    他比我大很多，甚至比我爸爸还大。
20. There are some agencies now specialising in helping older people to find jobs which pay
    现在有些机构专门帮助年龄较大的人找有报酬的工作。
21. In older age groups women predominate because men tend to die younger
    在老年群体中女性占大多数，因为男性的寿命往往较短。
22. The family continues to be the primary source of care and comfort for people as they grow older.
    随着年龄的增长，家庭仍然是人们获得关爱和安慰的主要源泉。
23. He grew older and more rebellious.
    他长大了，也越发叛逆了。
24. As the child gets older, so his or her strategies for storing and retrieving information improve.
    随着孩子们长大，他们储存和检索信息的能力也会提高。
25. They belong to an older, more self-denying generation.
    他们属于更加克己的上一代人。
26. It was the older women and young mothers who sorted all the troublemakers out
    是那些年纪较长的女士和年轻的母亲们教训了所有那些捣蛋鬼。
27. Suddenly, she looked ten years older
    突然间她看起来老了10岁。
28. Young people were several times more likely to be out of work than older members of the workforce
    劳动人口中，年轻人失业的可能性是年长者的好几倍。
29. Underage youths can obtain alcohol from their older friends.
    未到法定年龄的青少年可以从年龄较大的朋友那里弄到酒。
30. When you're older I think you're better equipped mentally to cope with whatever happens
    你年龄再大一些后，我想你就会有更强的心理承受能力来面对所发生的任何事。

  elder older【导航词义：年龄较大的】

  elder adj. 〈尤英〉较年长的

〔辨析〕一般只用于人，尤指兄弟或姐妹中较年长的，只作定语，不与 than 连用。

  older adj. 较老的，年龄较大的

〔辨析〕普通用词，可用于人或物，表示人们的年纪长幼或事物的新旧关系，多用作表语，可与 than 连用。

adj

1. skilled through long experience
   1. an old offender
   2. the older soldiers

   Synonym:    old

2. advanced in years
   1. aged members of the society
   2. elderly residents could remember the construction of the first skyscraper
   3. senior citizen

   Synonym:    agedelderlysenior

3. used of the older of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a father from his son
   1. Bill Adams, Sr.

   Synonym:    eldersr.