Meaning & use
age group
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Meanings
nouncountable
A set of people whose ages fall within the same range, treated as one category.
Grammar: Often preceded by an adjective or number: the 18 to 24 age group.
Patterns
- in the age group
- an age group of people
- across all age groups
The survey asked each age group about its favorite music.
Most players in this age group are between ten and twelve.
The vaccine was first offered to the oldest age group.
nouncountablesport
A class or division in a contest, school or club made up of people of similar age.
Grammar: Used in sports and activities: she won in her age group.
Patterns
- compete in an age group
- win your age group
She won the race in her age group.
The swim club has four age groups for young swimmers.
Children are placed in an age group before the tournament starts.
Word forms
| plural | age groups |
|---|
Common combinations
- target age group
- The toy company studied its target age group carefully.
- younger age group
- The campaign appeals mainly to the younger age group.
- across age groups
- The film was popular across age groups.
- in the same age group
- Several of the cousins are in the same age group.
- oldest age group
- The oldest age group had the highest turnout.
Synonyms and how they differ
- age bracket
- Age bracket is nearly the same but stresses the numerical limits, as in the 25 to 34 bracket.
- generation
- Generation refers to people born around the same time with shared experiences, not a fixed age range.
- cohort
- Cohort is a technical term for a set of people followed together in a study.
- demographic
- Demographic is broader and may include income and location as well as age.
Word family
Commonly confused: age group or generation? age group or age gap?
age group vs generation
A generation is defined by when people were born, while an age group is defined by how old they are right now.
age group vs age gap
An age gap is the difference in age between two people, not a group.
Practice
The survey found the 18 to 24 ___ spends the most time on its phone.
Choose one answer.
Age group names people within a range of ages. An age gap or generation gap compares two people or groups, and time zone is unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “age group”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.