baby

[ bey-bee ]

/ ˈbeɪ bi /

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See synonyms for: baby / babied / babies / babying on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ba·bies.

an infant or very young child.

a newborn or very young animal.

the youngest member of a family, group, etc.: I was the baby of the family for ten years, until my twin brothers were born.

an adult who behaves like a child; an immature, helpless, or fearful person: Just swallow the medicine—don't be such a baby!

a human fetus: The baby hasn’t arrived yet, but the nursery is ready.

Informal.

Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. a girl or woman, especially an attractive one.
a person of whom one is deeply fond; sweetheart.
(sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar address (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., especially by a male to a female).
a man or boy; fellow: He's a tough baby to have to deal with.
an invention, creation, project, or the like that requires one's special attention or expertise or of which one is especially proud: His charitable foundation is his baby and it truly shows.
an object; thing: Those big babies can carry a lot of cargo.

adjective

of or suitable for a baby: baby clothes.

of or like a baby; infantile: baby skin.

treating babies: a baby doctor.

small; comparatively little: baby eggplants.

verb (used with object), ba·bied, ba·by·ing.

to treat like a young child; pamper: She still babies her son although he's nearly 24.

to handle or use with special care; treat gently.

OTHER WORDS FOR baby

9 indulge, spoil, humor, coddle.

See synonyms for baby on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of baby

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; see origin at babe, -y²

OTHER WORDS FROM baby

ba·by·hood, nounba·by·ish, adjectiveba·by·ish·ly, adverbba·by·ish·ness, noun

ba·by·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use baby in a sentence

She’s the baby Karen gave up in Part 2, and she’s looking for her birth mother.
The mind-boggling end of Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise, explained|Constance Grady|November 20, 2020|Vox
Lori Keith, who manages the Parnassus Mid Cap Fund, sees long-term demand for Teleflex’s equipment as baby boomers age.
The 21 best stocks to buy for 2021|Anne Sraders|November 20, 2020|Fortune
The baby colugo reached out from under its mother, tugged a few small leaves and tried to nibble them.
On a cool night in Malaysia, scientists track mysterious colugos across the treetops|Yao-Hua Law|November 20, 2020|Science News
Ali has yet to share the news on her personal Instagram account, or the baby’s name.
Rah Ali Has Given Birth To Her Rainbow Baby, A Daughter|Charli Penn|November 12, 2020|Essence.com

Andy updated us that he’s now in a committed relationship with a baby on the way.
Date Lab update: Their boots matched, at least! Here’s what happened next.|Damona Hoffman|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
Parents sometimes have an attitude of, “I was brought up in the school of hard knocks, no one babied me.”
How to Help Your Anxious Kid|Eliza Shapiro|May 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In this day and age, men have gone from being learned by their fathers and grandfathers, to being babied by their mothers.
Is Masculine Writing Dead?|Frank Bill|March 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Mike dearly loved cauliflowers, and babied ours as a flower gardener babies his hybrid tea roses.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton
Harriet insisted that she did not wish to be "babied," but, the guardian was firm.
The Meadow-Brook Girls by the Sea|Janet Aldridge
It's nonsense for a great hot-blooded clown, like me to be babied with a fire.
Bad Hugh|Mary Jane Holmes
He said the ankle would be lame just so long as it was babied, that he proposed to throw away his crutch on the following day.
The Meadow-Brook Girls on the Tennis Courts|Janet Aldridge
Used to being babied and somewhat pampered at home, his outspokenness troubled her.
Nan Sherwood on the Mexican Border|Annie Roe Carr

British Dictionary definitions for baby

baby

/ (ˈbeɪbɪ) /

noun plural -bies

a newborn or recently born child; infant
(as modifier)baby food

an unborn child; fetus

the youngest or smallest of a family or group

a newborn or recently born animal
(as modifier)baby rabbits

usually derogatory an immature person

slang a young woman or sweetheart: often used as a term of address expressing affection

a project of personal concern

be left holding the baby to be left with the responsibility

throw the baby out with the bath water to lose the essential element by indiscriminate rejection

adjective

(prenominal) comparatively small of its typea baby car

verb -bies, -bying or -bied (tr)

to treat with love and attention

to treat (someone) like a baby; pamper or overprotect

Derived forms of baby

babyhood, nounbabyish, adjective

Word Origin for baby

C14: probably childish reduplication; compare mama, papa 1

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with baby

baby

see throw out the baby with the bath water.

baby

OTHER WORDS FOR baby

Origin of baby

OTHER WORDS FROM baby

Words related to baby

How to use baby in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for baby

Derived forms of baby

Word Origin for baby

Other Idioms and Phrases with baby