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puberty

American  
[pyoo-ber-tee] / ˈpyu bər ti /

noun

  1. the period or age at which a person is first capable of sexual reproduction of offspring: in common law, presumed to be 14 years in the male and 12 years in the female.

puberty British  
/ ˈpjuːbətɪ /

noun

  1. Also called: pubescence.  the period at the beginning of adolescence when the sex glands become functional and the secondary sexual characteristics emerge

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
puberty Scientific  
/ pyo̅o̅′bər-tē /

  1. The stage in the development of humans and other primates marked by the development of secondary sex characteristics, including menarche in females. In humans, puberty occurs at the onset of adolescence, between the ages of about 11 and 14 in girls and 13 and 16 in boys.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of puberty

1350–1400; Middle English puberte < Latin pūbertās adulthood, equivalent to pūber- , stem of pūbēs grown-up + -tās -ty 2

Explanation

Puberty is a time of life when your sex organs start working like an adult's. During puberty, girls and boys start to become women and men. One of the most difficult yet exciting times in life has to be puberty: it's an awkward period between childhood and adulthood when your body rapidly changes. You go through a growth spurt, hair sprouts in new places. Your sex organs start to work for the first time. Hormones are coursing through your veins. Your voice may change. So when you think of puberty, think "awkward stage."

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Vocabulary lists containing puberty

"Joyas Voladoras" by Brian Doyle

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Guts

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Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Puberty inspires some of the show’s biggest monsters, too.

From Salon • Nov. 24, 2025

Puberty blockers work by suppressing the release of hormones and can be prescribed to children questioning their gender.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2025

"Puberty is a window of susceptibility," Pinney says.

From Science Daily • Sep. 29, 2023

Puberty blockers, anti-androgens that block the effects of testosterone, and hormone treatments are far more common than surgery.

From Seattle Times • May 9, 2023

Puberty is the equivalent of guerrilla warfare on your body.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.