latchkey child

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noun

a child who must spend at least part of the day alone and unsupervised, as when the parents are away at work.

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Also called door-key child.

Origin of latchkey child

First recorded in 1940–45; so called because such a child is provided with a key for getting into the home after school

Words nearby latchkey child

latch, latchet, latch hook, latching, latchkey, latchkey child, latch needle, latch on, latch onto, latchstring, late

British Dictionary definitions for latchkey child

latchkey child

noun

a child who has to let himself or herself in at home on returning from school, as his or her parents are out at work

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012