playdate

American  

[pley-deyt] / ˈpleɪˌdeɪt /

Or play date

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of playdate

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

“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

Elin Strong, a writer based in Southern California, first spotted one on the arm of a “very chic” stylist friend at a playdate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 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

When our dads had discovered we lived on the same street, our moms had thought it would be fun to have a playdate.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas