kindergartner
AmericanEtymology
Origin of kindergartner
From the German word Kindergärtner, dating back to 1870–75. See kindergarten, -er 1
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.
Shiffrin’s never been shy about acknowledging performance anxiety—this is a champ who still shows up to races with the butterflies of a kindergartner on the first day of school.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026
The first reporter sounded as panicked as possible and the government officials sounded like school teachers trying to calm down a kindergartner after they’ve soiled themselves in class.
From Salon • Dec. 16, 2024
Was it a bit too scary for a kindergartner?
From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2024
In her 2012 autobiography, Can’t Is Not an Option, Haley tells the story of how, as a kindergartner in her rural South Carolina elementary school, she was cast as Pocahontas in the Thanksgiving play.
From Slate • Jan. 9, 2024
I was an unusually tall third grader with two arms, and I got beat out by kindergartner Clay Wurtzel.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
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.
