preschool
Americanadjective
noun
-
preschools
plural
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of preschool
Explanation
A preschool is a school for kids too young for kindergarten. In preschool, your teacher will still help you tie your shoes and stick your straw into your juice box. You can use the word preschool for the actual building where three year olds attend school, or for the program there. It's also an adjective for talking about preschool teachers, preschool students, or preschool funding in your town. Preschool has been used since the late 1800s, and it's also commonly called pre-K or nursery school.
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.
See Examples For:
A 2012 randomized controlled trial sponsored by the federal government found that children assigned to Head Start showed transient improvements in language and literacy during preschool.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
According to Fuller’s research, no more than a third of parents raising a 3-year-old can find an open slot in any form of preschool in California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
County nonprofit that contracts with Head Start, expects child-to-teacher ratios to default to those already outlined for state preschool and general child care — if that guidance is left up to the state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Lee, who arrived in the United States as a refugee from Laos in 1980 and worked for years as a preschool teacher, said she loves watching her crops grow and handing them over to customers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
With the future of government backing unclear, she froze hiring for a postdoctoral researcher and warned partner preschools that her timeline was uncertain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
In California, roughly 1,100 nonprofit preschools have closed since 2021, according to UC Berkeley research.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
A lack of suitable premises is putting pressure on voluntary preschools to stay open, a nursery struggling to find a new home has said.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
The Supreme Court is expected to hear the Catholic preschools case during its term beginning in October and issue a ruling by June 2027.
From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026
The preschools would fill up with strange ring-eyed children.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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.
