ago

adjective or adverb

ə-ˈgō 

: earlier than the present time

10 years ago

Synonyms

• since

Examples of ago in a Sentence

he left here long ago

Recent Examples on the Web

Chief financial officer Zac Coughlin said the firm is expecting Q3 gross margin to decline approximately 175 basis points from the year-ago period. —Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 4 Sep. 2025

Fox’s Saturday broadcast absolutely buried the year-ago analogue, a Penn State beatdown of West Virginia that averaged just shy of 3 million viewers. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 4 Sep. 2025

Instead, Affirm's key volume metric jumped 44% from the year-ago quarter and beat the street by nearly a billion dollars, helped by its partnerships with Shopify and Amazon. —Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025

Nvidia's earnings and sales are expected to jump from year-ago levels, but investors will scrutinize the company's outlook to see how tariffs, China sales and artificial intelligence spending are shaping up. —Medora Lee, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025

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

Phrases Containing ago

• a long time ago
• long ago
• not long ago
• not so long ago
• some time ago

Rhymes for ago

• acknow
• aglow
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau
• bateau

Kids Definition

ago

adjective or adverb

ə-ˈgō 

: earlier than the present time

many years ago