playdate

American  

[pley-deyt] / ˈpleɪˌdeɪt /

Or play date

noun

• playdates
  plural

1. an appointment made by parents or caregivers from different families to have their young children play together.

   My son has a playdate this afternoon, so I’ll be picking him up early from day care.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• playdates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of playdate

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

playdate playdates

“He’s proud of the fact that their house is the site of every playdate, that he butts heads with his toddler, that he stalks the halls as ‘Papa T-rex.’”

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 2, 2026

The group of about eight women clicked, meeting for a weekly playdate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026

On Sunday morning, as I was looking for shoes and packing snacks, I heard a rumor that ICE was on the same block as my child’s playdate.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2025

Smooth the way by arranging a playdate or two before school starts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2024

That particular playdate had left us with something more like a corn octopus that was far too heavy to be hung.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

When motherhood gets lonely, there are playdates and moms’ nights out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026

Parents can also look for playgroups, book clubs, recreational sports leagues or initiate talking to parents about scheduling playdates with their little ones' friends from childcare.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2024

She’s also hosting playdates to avoid going to water parks.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 27, 2023

She said playdates were helpful "because you're not asking for a favour, you're looking after kids of friends one day, then they look after yours the next".

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2023

A mothers’ group is when a bunch of moms hang out together and have playdates with other kids’ moms.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio