cherub

American  

[cher-uhb] / ˈtʃɛr əb /

noun

• cherubs,
  plural
• cherubim
  plural

1. (in the Bible) a celestial being.

2. Theology. a member of the second order of angels, often represented as a beautiful rosy-cheeked child with wings.

3. a beautiful or innocent person, especially a child.

4. a person, especially a child, with a sweet, chubby, innocent face.

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cherub British  

/ ˈtʃɛrəb /

noun

1. theol a member of the second order of angels, whose distinctive gift is knowledge, often represented as a winged child or winged head of a child

2. an innocent or sweet child

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cherubic
  adjective
• cherubical
  adjective
• cherublike
  adjective
• cherubically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cherubim
  plural
• cherubs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cherub

First recorded before 900; Middle English, from Latin, from Greek, from Hebrew kərūbh; replacing Middle English cherubin, Old English c(h)erubin, cerubim (all singular), from Latin cherūbim, from Greek, from Hebrew kərūbhīm (plural)

Explanation

You might think of a rosy-faced child as a cherub, conjuring up an image of chubby, naked angels cavorting amongst the clouds. That image comes from the most familiar use of the word, which was to name an order of angels. The image we have of a cherub, chubby-cheeked babies with wings, actually wasn't around until the Renaissance, when artists depicted the lower-order angels as children. Prior to that, the word evolved from the Hebrew kĕrūḇ, and was taken from the Aramaic kĕ-raḇyā which meant "child-like." It was this translation that encouraged the idea of a cherub as being portrayed as a child. The plural form, "cherubim" also follows the Hebrew grammar rule of creating plurals by adding the suffix -im.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cherub cherubim cherubs

Church and government officials launched an investigation after pictures of a cherub at the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina showed her newly restored face had an uncanny likeness to right-wing leader, Giorgia Meloni.

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026

They led by 11 after the first quarter, 17 at halftime, 33 after three, and they just kept piling it on, so much that Jack Nicholson spent the game looking like a gleeful cherub.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2023

“I needed her to be a falling cherub, because that’s what I saw,” he said.

From New York Times ● Mar. 3, 2023

A cherub statue the Welnicks placed outside as a memorial to a child they lost to miscarriage looked down at the rubble.

From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2022

She removed her tiara and placed it on the head of the gold-leafed marble cherub that served as one of the bedposts.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Song floats through “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” like hovering cherubim.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

In one passage, a prophet called Ezekiel describes a "vision of God being transported on cherubim", with four wings and "feet shaped like the sole of a calf's foot".

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2021

She’s attended by a half-dozen crimson seraphim and three royal blue cherubim.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2018

“It’s very ornate, very detailed. I believe I recall cherubim on the ceiling.”

From Washington Post ● Jan. 17, 2017

It’s like we were ringed by cherubim, smiling at our antics.

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson

I was fascinated entering the Catholic churches and finding Black figures as Jesus and the disciples, but often alongside white cherubs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

“Elements such as the staircase cherubs, vibrant patterned wallpaper, curved French patio doors, and the deeply personal, expressive touches throughout make the home both memorable and visually striking.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026

But I do believe — cue the trumpets and cherubs — there is nothing beyond the power of voters to fix.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2025

Apparently it’s this ballroom at Mar-a-Lago, with its $7 million of gold leaf, that Trump wants now to re-create in the East Wing; the gold cherubs have already been brought up from Florida.

From Slate ● May 30, 2025

The tray was faded but still pretty, with a big rainbow in the middle and three cherubs with harps floating above it.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser