old news

IPA/ˈəʊld njˈuːz/
IPA/ˈoʊld nˈuːz/

old news — 慣用語

1. information or a situation that everyone already knows about, and therefore no l

1.慣用語B1
釋義

舊聞；過時

大家已知道、不再新鮮的資訊

information or a situation that everyone already knows about, and therefore no longer feels surprising or exciting.

例句

The news about the manager's retirement is already old news — everyone heard it last week.

經理退休的消息早就是舊聞了——上週就都聽說了。

be + old news with known information

When the report came out, the data was already old news to the research team.

報告出爐時，那些數據對研究團隊來說已是過時的消息。

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • 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.

常見錯誤

❌That story is old' (when meaning everyone already knows).
✅That story is old news.
💡'old' alone means 'not recent'; 'old news' is a fixed phrase meaning 'already known to everyone.'
❌This phone model is old news.
✅This rumor about the singer is old news.
💡'old news' normally refers to information, not physical objects.