kindergarten
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- kindergartener noun
- prekindergarten noun
Etymology
Origin of kindergarten
1850–55; < German: literally, children's garden, equivalent to Kinder children ( see kind 2) + Garten garden
Explanation
Kindergarten is where children are introduced to school; it's where five year old children learn all about their ABC's and choice time. Kindergarten comes from the German words Kinder ("children") and Garten ("garden"). A garden of children is a lovely and poetic image for a classroom full of antsy kids trying their hardest to master basic skills and ideas through creative and interactive lessons. But perhaps that is just how they were seen by the 19th-century German educator Friedrich Fröbel, who is credited with inventing kindergarten, his "method of developing intelligence in young children."
Vocabulary lists containing kindergarten
August Words
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Words Derived from German
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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 next day, Swalwell held a Zoom meeting with content creators, including Fodor, a former kindergarten teacher who posts educational and political content.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
“The running joke is everyone moves in kindergarten and everyone leaves after 12th grade.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
She praises the Fidesz mayor for rebuilding the roads, the kindergarten, and the sports centre.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
The aim is to be bustlingly kinetic, but the feel is pure kindergarten: no logic, just jerky leaps from one gaming situation to the next, with characters and objects taking on whatever powers are needed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
“Josie, I did write that you could be ‘the one’ the night before you started kindergarten, the same time I asked that you be seated beside Max.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
