Synonyms

long in the tooth

Idioms

Getting on in years, old, as in Aunt Aggie's a little long in the tooth to be helping us move. This expression alludes to a horse's gums receding with age and making the teeth appear longer. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Also, the capital spending cycle is long in the tooth.

From Barron's

One sign a hot theme is getting long in the tooth is an extreme divergence between the equal-weighted version of the S&P 500 and the regular, capitalization-weighted index.

From The Wall Street Journal

Writing after Lawson's appointment was rumoured last week, the Guardian's Stuart Heritage said that The Great British Bake Off has "lost its way" and "become slightly long in the tooth over the last half decade or so".

From BBC

Plenty of analysts have pointed out that this bull market is getting long in the tooth.

From Barron's

The artificial-intelligence trade, which has experienced volatility in recent weeks, “is getting a little long in the tooth,” Goldberg told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023