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• child
  child

  noun

  a person between birth and puberty or full growth.
• Child
  Child

  noun

  Julia, 1912–2004, U.S. gourmet cook, author, and television personality.

child

¹ American  

[chahyld] / tʃaɪld /

noun

plural

children

1. a person between birth and puberty or full growth.

   books for children.

2. a son or daughter; offspring considered with regard to parents.

   All my children are married.

3. a baby or infant.

   A child of six months can recognize family members.

4. a human fetus.

   My sister is seven months pregnant with a healthy child.

5. a childish person.

   He's such a child about money.

6. a descendant.

   a child of an ancient breed.

7. any person or thing regarded as the product or result of particular agencies, influences, etc..

   Abstract art is a child of the 20th century.

8. a person regarded as conditioned or marked by a given circumstance, situation, etc..

   a child of poverty; a child of famine.

9. British Dialect, Archaic. a female infant.

10. Archaic. childe.

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idioms

1. with child, pregnant.

   She's with child.

Child ² American  

[chahyld] / tʃaɪld /

noun

1. Julia, 1912–2004, U.S. gourmet cook, author, and television personality.

2. Lydia Maria (Francis), 1802–80, U.S. author, abolitionist, and social reformer.

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child British  

/ tʃaɪld /

noun

1. 1. a boy or girl between birth and puberty

   2. ( as modifier )

      child labour

2. a baby or infant

3. an unborn baby

4. another term for pregnant

5. a human offspring; a son or daughter

6. a childish or immature person

7. a member of a family or tribe; descendant

   a child of Israel

8. a person or thing regarded as the product of an influence or environment

   a child of nature

9. dialect a female infant

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child More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing child

• second childhood

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Other Word Forms

• childless
  adjective
• childlessness
  noun
• childly
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

They also adopted a deaf child, who was born in Thailand.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

The first-time mother said her husband already had a child from another marriage, who lived with them.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

And then, after giving birth to her second child during the pandemic, she cracked.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

"This action supports the welfare of American children by exacting real consequences for child support delinquency under existing federal law," the department said in a statement.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

He had kept mother and child in the hospital longer than permitted already because she had nowhere else to go.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• baby
• boy
• daughter
• girl
• juvenile
• kid
• minor
• offspring
• son
• youngster
• youth