ago

adjective or adverb

ə-ˈgō How to pronounce ago (audio)
Synonyms of agonext
: earlier than the present time
10 years ago

Synonyms of ago

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of ago in a Sentence

he left here long ago
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Worthington Steel — The metals processing company's stock tumbled 10% after earnings for the first quarter came in sharply lower than the year-ago period. — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026 Net sales in the second quarter reached $615 million compared to $585 million in the year-ago period. — David Moin, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026 Average pricing is up between 1% and 2% compared to the year-ago rates, when increases hovered between 5% and 6%. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Sep. 2026 In equities trading, GameStop surged more than 5% before the market opened after the video game retailer provided a preliminary second-quarter earnings outlook above its year-ago results. — ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ago

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ago, agon, from past participle of agon "to go away, pass by, pass away, come to an end," going back to Old English āgān "to go away, depart, (of time) pass," from ā-, perfective prefix + gān "to go entry 1" — more at abide

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ago was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing ago

Rhymes for ago

See All Rhymes for ago

Browse Nearby Words

Agnus Dei
ago
agog
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ago.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ago. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

ago

adjective or adverb
ə-ˈgō How to pronounce ago (audio)
: earlier than the present time
many years ago
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All