Meaning & use
white with age
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
having become white or pale because of old age or long use
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like be, go, turn, or grow: Her hair went white with age.
Patterns
- be white with age
- go white with age
- turn white with age
The old wooden fence had gone white with age.
His beard was white with age, but his eyes were still sharp.
The temple's stone steps were white with age and worn smooth by countless feet.
phrasefixed phrase
having grey or white hair because one is old
Grammar: Often used of a person's hair or of the person themselves: He is white with age.
Patterns
- be white with age
- someone's hair is white with age
The professor was white with age but still taught every day.
Her hair, now white with age, was once as dark as coal.
Common combinations
- go white with age
- The old photographs had gone white with age.
- hair white with age
- He had a long beard, white with age.
- turn white with age
- The leaves of the ancient manuscript turned white with age.
Synonyms and how they differ
Practice
The ancient oak door had ______ with age.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'go white with age', meaning become white over time. 'Gone whiter' would need a comparison, and 'gone to white' is not the usual expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “white with age”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.