of age
of age — idiom
1. old enough by law to do something such as vote, marry, or buy alcohol; or having
old enough by law to do something such as vote, marry, or buy alcohol; or having existed for a particular number of years.
Defne will be of age next month, so she can finally vote in the election.
be of age — reaching legal adulthood
In most countries you must be of age before you can sign a legal contract.
Rachid could not buy beer at the store because he was not of age.
The temple, a building of age almost nine hundred years, still holds services every Sunday.
The old oak tree in the village square is of age nearly three hundred years.
- old enough
more conversational and informal; used in everyday speech instead of the semi-legal 'of age'
- of legal age
more formal; emphasises the legal requirement rather than just the age
- adult
broader in meaning; describes the general status of being grown-up, not a specific legal threshold
文法句型
be of age
come of age
[noun] of age [number]
用法筆記
When referring to people, 'of age' almost always means the minimum legal age set by law for a specific activity. For things and traditions, it simply states how long they have existed. The most common pattern is 'be of age'; 'come of age' is a separate idiom meaning 'reach adulthood'.