old news
old news — idiom
1. information or a situation that everyone already knows about, and therefore no l
information or a situation that everyone already knows about, and therefore no longer feels surprising or exciting.
The news about the manager's retirement is already old news — everyone heard it last week.
be + old news with known information
When the report came out, the data was already old news to the research team.
The scandal became old news after a bigger story about the mayor appeared online.
Her resignation became old news within days as the company announced a new project.
The layoff rumors are old news now — nobody even talks about them anymore.
- yesterday's news
same register and meaning; slightly more vivid
- old hat
similar informal register; emphasises boredom rather than just being known
- stale
broader and slightly more formal; can describe physical things too
- breaking news
fresh, just-received information that people are excited about
- hot topic
something that people are currently discussing with interest
文法句型
be + old news
become + old news
用法筆記
Commonly used in informal conversation to dismiss information as already known. The subject is usually a piece of information (rumor, report, story, data) or a person who is no longer the center of attention.