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Synonyms

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.

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.

child British  
/ tʃaɪld /

noun

    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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
child More Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing child

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”

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.

When I was a child, my father warned me about answering the phone or the doorbell.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

“Reassure your child that you’re always going to take care of them no matter how much money is coming in.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

Us said that in December 2025, the court revised the former couple’s agreement to $1,206 per month in child support, with $43,401.96 due for unpaid past support.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

The result is that part or all of the inheritance passes to someone else, often a child or grandchild.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

You are a child and you’re innocent and you must forgive yourself, just like I forgive you.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

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.