preschool

[adjective pree-skool; noun pree-skool]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR preschool ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or intended for a child between infancy and school age: new methods of preschool education.

noun

a school or nursery for preschool children.

Origin of preschool

First recorded in 1920–25; pre- + school¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for preschool

kindergarten, playgroup

Examples from the Web for preschool

Contemporary Examples of preschool

About half of these are preschool students with varying levels of special needs.
Magical Gardens for the Blind, Deaf, and Disabled
Elizabeth Picciuto
October 22, 2014
These kinds of supports start as early as preschool, Osher said.
Obama’s $120 Million School Safety Plan
Elizabeth Lopatto
June 16, 2014
Our schools are suspending or expelling a tremendous number of black students, and it begins as early as preschool.
Are Black Students Unruly? Or is America Just Racist?
Jamelle Bouie
March 21, 2014
One preschool student costs Rosemount $12,000 per year, $18,000 for a toddler, and $27,500 for an infant.
All Kids Want a Head Start
Eleanor Clift
February 13, 2014
Specifically, Obama called for a $75 billion investment in preschool programs over the next ten years.
The Biggest Broken Promises from Last Year’s State of the Union
Jamelle Bouie
January 28, 2014

Historical Examples of preschool

Approximately 50 percent of the children in elementary school have had their preschool education in the half day kindergartens.
Area Handbook for Bulgaria
Eugene K. Keefe, Violeta D. Baluyut, William Giloane, Anne K. Long, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
For the preschool years we will help needy children become aware of the excitement of learning.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006
Various
But though Jake needed a preschool child with intelligence, he did not realize the height of Jimmy Holden's.
The Fourth R
George Oliver Smith

British Dictionary definitions for preschool

preschool

pre-school

adjective

(of a child) under the age at which compulsory education begins
(of services) for or relating to preschool children

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

Word Origin and History for preschool

adj.

also pre-school, 1886, from pre- + school (n.); the noun is from 1910. Related: pre-schooling; pre-schooler.