old man
• noun
An elderly male person; a man of advanced age.
"The old man sat on the park bench feeding breadcrumbs to the pigeons."
One's father (informal, typically preceded by a possessive determiner).
"My old man taught me how to repair bicycles in the garage when I was a kid."
A woman's husband or male romantic partner (slang, typically preceded by a possessive determiner).
"She told her friends that her old man was cooking dinner for their anniversary."
A male in a position of authority, such as a commanding officer, ship's captain, or employer (informal, usually preceded by 'the').
"Everyone in the office straightened up when the old man walked onto the floor."
Southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum), a bushy aromatic perennial subshrub in the family Asteraceae native to Eurasia, cultivated for its finely divided,camphor-scented greyish-green foliage.
"She planted a sprig of fragrant old man near the garden gate for its pleasant lemon-camphor scent."
Word Nuance & Usage
When preceded by a possessive determiner (e.g., 'my old man'), it functions as an informal or slang expression for one's father or husband rather than a literal reference to an elderly male.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.