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

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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)

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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

The wall painting is located in a chapel dedicated to Italy's last king, Umberto II, and shows the cherub holding a map of Italy.

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026

There are mysterious initials, a cherub wearing a balaclava.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2024

“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

A little polished cherub grins at each corner.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

There is no end of hand-wringing over careerists who forgo the delights of cherubim in favor of corporate paychecks, but careful interrogations of parenthood are few and far between.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 27, 2023

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

She transforms the unruly bunch of us into a heavenly host of cherubim, hovering a thousand feet above the city rooftops.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

Painters also adopted European conventions emphasizing divine rule in imperial portraits, as in a posthumous one of Akbar with a halo and winged cherubs above him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 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

Had she been born five hundred years sooner, Raphael would have chosen her as a model for his cherubs.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

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