child
noun
a person between birth and puberty or full growth.
child
1 American
[chahyld]
/ tʃaɪld /
noun
-
children
plural
-
a person between birth and puberty or full growth.
books for children.
-
a son or daughter; offspring considered with regard to parents.
All my children are married.
-
a baby or infant.
A child of six months can recognize family members.
-
a human fetus.
My sister is seven months pregnant with a healthy child.
-
a childish person.
He's such a child about money.
-
a descendant.
a child of an ancient breed.
-
any person or thing regarded as the product or result of particular agencies, influences, etc..
Abstract art is a child of the 20th century.
-
a person regarded as conditioned or marked by a given circumstance, situation, etc..
a child of poverty; a child of famine.
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British Dialect, Archaic. a female infant.
-
Archaic. childe.
idioms
Child
2
American
[chahyld]
/ tʃaɪld /
noun
-
Julia, 1912–2004, U.S. gourmet cook, author, and television personality.
-
Lydia Maria (Francis), 1802–80, U.S. author, abolitionist, and social reformer.
child
British
/ tʃaɪld /
noun
-
-
a boy or girl between birth and puberty
-
( as modifier )
child labour
-
-
a baby or infant
-
an unborn baby
-
another term for pregnant
-
a human offspring; a son or daughter
-
a childish or immature person
-
a member of a family or tribe; descendant
a child of Israel
-
a person or thing regarded as the product of an influence or environment
a child of nature
-
dialect a female infant
child
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of child
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English cild; akin to Gothic kilthai “womb”
Explanation
A child is a young person who's typically older than a baby but younger than a teen. As a child, you probably had your parents watching over you as you played in a sandbox. The noun child come from the Old English word cild, meaning "child, infant." Retaining a similar meaning into modern times, the word still refers to a young person, male or female. But you can be considered a child after reaching adulthood — in the eyes of your parents, at least. Immature behavior like throwing a temper tantrum can also mark you as a child. The word can also refer to someone in a clan or tribe, young or old.
Vocabulary lists containing child
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.
See Examples For:
"Today’s decision is a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child and every child who deserves to grow up safer online."
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
It was the first time that a state had successfully sued Meta over child safety issues.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
I was seemingly the only Asian child in a five-mile radius.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The drug’s arduous journey through the FDA made it a poster child for the biotech industry’s criticism of the agency under former Commissioner Marty Makary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
A man in a woollen coat and hat passed him to me and, as usual, the child took my hand and we walked away.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The findings from the first year of follow-up have now been analyzed and published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Roughly 100 students are enrolled in the eight classrooms that have opened since April, according to Juan Cisneros, executive director of Child Start.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The gang was unmasked after another friend of the men took Child B to London.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Michael Sincere is a MarketWatch contributor and editor and the author of several books, including “Understanding Stocks,” “Understanding Options” and “Help Your Child Build Wealth.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Mama always prayed to him whenever one of us got sick because she said the Holy Child Jesus took care of poor and sick people, especially children.
From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez
In the family’s statement on Thursday, they said that their highest priority right now was helping Hilton’s three children and niece “begin to heal from what they experienced.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Sudanese lawyer Majida Idris explains that the Child Act of 2010 allows for the registration of children born outside marriage.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
A New Mexico judge on Thursday ordered Meta to pay more than half a billion dollars over the state's claims that the social media giant created a "public nuisance" and harmed children.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Although most of the crowds of migrants have returned across the border to Morocco, authorities are struggling to find shelter for Moroccan children remaining in the Spanish enclave, who cannot be summarily deported.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Clare leapt over him and continued, the shouts and screams of the children falling behind.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
