childhood

American  

[chahyld-hood] / ˈtʃaɪld hʊd /

noun

• childhoods
  plural

1. the state or period of being a child.

   Synonyms:

   girlhood, boyhood, youth

2. the early stage in the existence of something.

   the childhood of the human race.

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childhood British  

/ ˈtʃaɪldhʊd /

noun

1. the condition of being a child; the period of life before puberty

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prechildhood
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• childhoods
  plural

Etymology

Origin of childhood

before 950; Middle English childhode, Old English cildhād. See child, -hood

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

childhood childhoods

Symptoms may first emerge during infancy, childhood, or adulthood, and their severity and progression can differ depending on when the condition begins.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Below, a circle of polished black granite set within green marble mirrors the dome — a reference to Albuquerque’s 1989 public artwork, “Site, Memory, Reflection,” and to the architecture of her Tunisian childhood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

But, like Mona and her fond memories of childhood church choir, I couldn’t let the urge go.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

A childhood of sci-fi, The Thunderbirds and televised Nasa missions meant space was always a keen interest of his.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Somewhere in the expanse beneath that placid splendor lay Togbe’s childhood home in its watery grave, lost in time.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

As if their unconventional childhoods weren’t troubled enough, Asa and Yuru’s twinship comes with another heavy burden: saving the world.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

Over one-third of American children and a staggering 53 percent of Black children will be subjected to a child protective services investigation at some point in their childhoods.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

The film is, he said, is "another parable of parental crisis dressed up as a brightly coloured family adventure" - and a "cautionary tale about online childhoods".

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

It also has some surprisingly effective dramatic moments, such as when she confesses to being such a careerist that she missed her kids’ childhoods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

So many people in Village—including Matty—had sad memories of their childhoods.

From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry