child
noun
a person between birth and puberty or full growth.
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child
1 American
[chahyld]
/ tʃaɪld /
noun
plural
children-
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.
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a human fetus.
My sister is seven months pregnant with a healthy child.
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a childish person.
He's such a child about money.
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a descendant.
a child of an ancient breed.
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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.
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Lydia Maria (Francis), 1802–80, U.S. author, abolitionist, and social reformer.
child
British
/ tʃaɪld /
noun
-
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a boy or girl between birth and puberty
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( as modifier )
child labour
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a baby or infant
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an unborn baby
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another term for pregnant
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a human offspring; a son or daughter
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a childish or immature person
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a member of a family or tribe; descendant
a child of Israel
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a person or thing regarded as the product of an influence or environment
a child of nature
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dialect a female infant
child
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
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.
The butterflies were placed in individual jars on Thursday and Kendrick said each child was handed a pot and released the butterflies on Friday morning.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
Have you had instances where parents are upset you didn’t get their child into Kappa or whatever?
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
They also adopted a deaf child, who was born in Thailand.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
The decision has been welcomed by child protection groups, including the NSPCC, which has long warned the technology could put children at risk.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
The child did not seem so terrible either.
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.
