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:
I am thinking about where my daughter might go to college, not preschool.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Researchers examined three types of preschool environments that children attended before entering elementary school: public school pre-K, center-based daycare programs, and home-based childcare providers participating in the Early Learning Coalition.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Leniz Cortes, who teaches preschool at Krieger, used sick hours to attend Monday’s protest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
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
When I was in preschool, I had a teacher named Starlily.
From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm
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
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
Dawn Uribe, the owner of four Spanish-immersion preschools in Minnesota, said two of her staffers have been detained by ICE.
From Salon ● Jan. 29, 2026
The preschools would fill up with strange ring-eyed children.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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