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
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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:
Tina Meschino had her first child at 41.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
ServiceNow’s stock has been a poster child for the selloff, falling 37% on a year-to-date basis through Wednesday’s close.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
My dad loved me as a child, and and he raised me strong enough to be able to do this thing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Their children, now in their 20s and early 30s, have all moved out, but in childhood “were along for the ride” during renovations, said middle child Julianne Lauenstein.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The most frequent mortal attendees were Kate, George, Sarah, and their only remaining child, ten-year-old son Willie.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
That’s because the IRS form parents use to claim the Child and Dependent Care Credit will expect the name, address and Social Security number or Employer Identification Number of the care provider.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Doctors at the University of Manitoba, Canada's Department of Pediatrics and Child Health said they strongly suspected rabies.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, schools faced mounting pressure to raise test scores, creating a fundamental tension between learning time and and play time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
"Child protection is the only area where the US can be convinced to sign up to something which says there needs to be oversight and rules."
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
It was a number for Child Protective Services.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
Across the US, there are thousands of lawsuits accusing Meta and other major social media platforms of harming young children.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The Turners were ordered by a Los Angeles County judge to enroll their children in a conventional school on grounds that the parents did not have adequate teaching credentials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
At the time, Pelosi was a 46-year-old mother of five children and a party activist known for raising large sums for Democratic candidates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
"It's calm and peaceful here, I can always keep an eye on the children," said Yulia Sadvakasova, a 33-year-old schoolteacher and mother of two.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
I biked to Bos en Hoven Straat and then with Flip and the children who happened to be at home, hurried to the Haarlem station.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
