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• youth
  youth

  noun

  the condition of being young.
• Youth
  Youth

  noun

  Isle of Youth an island in the Caribbean, a special municipality in southern Cuba. 1,182 sq. mi. (3,060 sq. km).

youth

¹ American  

[yooth] / juθ /

noun

• youths,
  plural
• youth
  plural

1. the condition of being young.

   Antonyms:

   maturity

2. the appearance, freshness, vigor, spirit, etc., characteristic of one who is young.

3. the time of being young; early life.

   His youth was spent on the farm.

   Synonyms:

   immaturity, minority

   Antonyms:

   maturity

4. the period of life from puberty to the attainment of full growth; adolescence.

5. the first or early period of anything.

   The business, even in its youth, showed great potential.

6. young persons collectively.

7. a young person, especially a young man or male adolescent.

   Synonyms:

   boy, lad, stripling, adolescent, teenager, youngster

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Youth ² American  

[yooth] / juθ /

noun

1. Isle of Youth an island in the Caribbean, a special municipality in southern Cuba. 1,182 sq. mi. (3,060 sq. km).

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youth ¹ British  

/ juːθ /

noun

1. the quality or condition of being young, immature, or inexperienced

   his youth told against him in the contest

2. the period between childhood and maturity, esp adolescence and early adulthood

3. the freshness, vigour, or vitality characteristic of young people

   youth shone out from her face

4. any period of early development

   the project was in its youth

5. a young person, esp a young man or boy

6. young people collectively

   youth everywhere is rising in revolt

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Youth ² British  

/ juːθ /

noun

1. Spanish name: Isla de la Juventud. Former name: Isle of Pines. an island in the NW Caribbean, south of Cuba: administratively part of Cuba from 1925. Chief town: Nueva Gerona. Pop: 80 600 (2002 est). Area: 3061 sq km (1182 sq miles)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• youthless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• youth
  plural
• youths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of youth

First recorded before 900; Middle English youthe, Old English geoguth; cognate with Dutch jeugd, German Jugend

Explanation

If you're not a little kid anymore, but you're not really an adult yet, you can describe this period of your life as your youth. You can use the noun youth in several ways — you might refer to a kid as a youth, describe the group of teenagers hanging out downtown as youth, or talk about the time in your life when you were young and carefree as your youth. In all cases, youth comes from the Old English geoguth, which is closely related to the root of young: geong.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

youth Youth youths

Anderson was also a youth advocate, reportedly serving as an ambassador for national child protection campaigns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

He is the poster boy in the Scottish FA's campaign to persuade clubs to give youth more of a chance.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

She ran a youth group that was funded by the CIA.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Ghaderi says slidkrans is used particularly by healthcare professionals and in youth clinics but adds misinformation still exists emphasising the "need to change social constructs".

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Little is known about his youth, but it seems that Archimedes was born around 287 BC in Samos, Pythagoras’s birthplace.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Youth unemployment remains stubbornly high and property prices have slumped in a country where 80% of people own their own homes.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Youth will debut on 21 September in the UK & Ireland on HBO Max.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

The Hindenburg lifted off shortly after 7 p.m., saluted by a brass band playing “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” and cheered by a large crowd, including a Hitler Youth troop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Youth sports can go nearly around the clock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

But by 1936, seventeen-year-old Hans had grown tired of the conformity demanded by the Hitler Youth.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corp., he has been connected to numerous children’s hospitals, the Starlight Children’s Foundation, as well as the Make-a-Wish Foundation and Canteen, a support organization for youths with cancer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Whether it is a practical attempt to hide their identity or part of a youth sub-culture, there is no doubt that many people find the sight of masked youths intimidating.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Hallaq's uncle, also named Mohammed Hallaq, told AFP that his nephew was killed by a stray bullet during a confrontation between the army patrol and a group of older youths.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

She estimated there were at least 200 protesters, many of them youths wearing hoodies.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Tears flowed freely down the cheeks of youths returning from school, and men and women returning from work.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• minority
• teens