Ago Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms ago American [uh-goh] / əˈgoʊ /

adjective

1. gone; gone by; past (usually preceded by a noun).

   five days ago.

adverb

1. in past time; in the past.

   All this happened long ago.

ago British / əˈɡəʊ /

adverb

1. in the past

   five years ago

   long ago

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does ago mean? Ago means in the past.It’s always used in combination with other words that indicate exactly or about how much time has passed since something happened—never by itself (you wouldn’t say That happened ago).Examples of such phrases are three weeks ago, an hour ago, five days ago, long ago, and a long time ago.Example: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ….

Etymology

Origin of ago

before 1000; Middle English ago ( n ), Old English āgān, past participle of āgān to go by, pass, equivalent to ā- a- 3 + gān to go 1

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.

Nagi said her inspiration to take learning to the less-fortunate came about unexpectedly, about three decades ago, when a boy walked into one of her art workshops in Mumbai.

From BBC

One month ago a pipe carrying sewage from the US capital and parts of the neighboring states of Maryland and Virginia burst, sending hundreds of millions of liters of waste into the Potomac River.

From Barron's

A wave of teacher contracts is up for renegotiation now, thanks to a strategy the unions implemented a few years ago to synchronize expiration dates.

From The Wall Street Journal

Just over a year ago, the going rate for a top lawyer was in the $2,500 an hour range.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mind you, this shortfall is $7 billion less than the city projected a couple of months ago before a surge in income-tax collections from year-end bonuses.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.