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.
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a son or daughter; offspring considered with regard to parents.
All my children are married.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
Every day I try to find at least one child I didn’t know and have a personal conversation, ‘What middle school he went to, where does he live, are his studies OK.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Several allegedly claimed to have provided child care at their homes when border-crossing records showed they weren’t in the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
But getting a child through the education system and into a secure career can involve years of preparation, intense competition and, for many families, considerable expense.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
To Norway’s child services group, the Barnevernet, the Bodnarius were a model of the progressive but necessary systems put in place to protect children.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Who would want to name their child Peabody?
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Yolo County Child Welfare Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
In the world of author Lee Child, heroes like Jack Reacher work best when they work alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Childcare on average costs about $1,100 per month per child, according to Child Care Aware of America.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child is recording songs about candy corn.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Ironically, the last time I was at UCI, I was in their Child Development Center being treated for ADD when I was eight years old.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
Barkley, who lives with his fiancée, Anna Congdon, and their three young children in a Philadelphia suburb, talked about modifying his workouts, taking inspiration from Kobe Bryant and his animal-themed meditation technique.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
The distance from her children produced another kind of line: text.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
“Second of all, I have a record of protecting women and children that’s unparalleled.”
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
Now he is starting a family with Danis and looking forward to telling his future children about their siblings.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Telegrams pour into the university from terrified parents who want their children to come home.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
