child
noun
a person between birth and puberty or full growth.
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child
1 American
[chahyld]
/ tʃaɪld /
noun
-
children
plural
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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.
-
Lydia Maria (Francis), 1802–80, U.S. author, abolitionist, and social reformer.
child
British
/ tʃaɪld /
noun
-
-
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
-
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
-
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:
Five years later, the boy is played by Jackie Coogan and they are a team whose harmony is interrupted when the child becomes ill and mother re-enters the picture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
The writer-director Jordan Firstman knows his new movie is part of a tradition: films where underachieving men are forced to grow up after a child arrives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
Highland Council receives core funding of £143 per child, per day for under 18s.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
"She escaped the Holocaust as a child, eventually coming to Australia, and built a beautiful family," he said.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
She placed her hands on my shoulders and squeezed like she used to whenever I was too noisy or overexcited as a child.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Records show the Perfect Child also billed other insurers including Aetna, units of UnitedHealth Group and Cigna Group though its web of LLCs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
The Elevance lawsuit said the Perfect Child had a contract with its insurance units until June of this year that required it to accept in-network payment rates when treating its members.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Perfect Child founder Simcha Bendet, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne – who wrote the films Wonder and Enola Holmes, as well as the Harry Potter And The Cursed Child stage play – is also providing financial backing to the scheme.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
There is a crucifix mounted on the wall, a flag of a cross draped over the lectern, and a few paintings of the Madonna and Child hanging in the back.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
The Duchess of Sussex's 82-year-old father appeared in court on Friday charged with one count of possessing indecent images of children, the US Department of Justice said.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
The graveyard is in the fictional town of Bellewood, Conn., where Jake, his long-suffering wife, Mattie, and their two children live, having recently left California.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
State health officials have reported at least eight measles-related deaths, including among very young children.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
She lives with her husband, Matt, and children in Studio City.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
The human children crested the hill, a dozen silhouettes backlit by the rippling green light of Progress.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
