preteen
Americannoun
-
Also called preteenager. Also called preteener. a boy or girl under the age of 13, especially one between the ages of 9 and 12.
-
preteens, the years immediately preceding one's thirteenth birthday.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of preteen
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:
The Messi 10 has become America’s preteen uniform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
A mother who sees other women as her direct competition isn’t just creepy; she’s dangerous — and the fact that, in this case, the other women are preteen girls makes it even worse.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
The man set to become one of the world’s youngest artificial intelligence billionaires started his entrepreneurial journey as a bored preteen living in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2026
The Kim regime figures other nations won’t subject preteen girls to arduous training.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
I didn’t want to appear rude, but as a preteen girl, I thought, I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing anything in here.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
The suit states that "despite public knowledge of ChatGPT's use by minors, including preteens, defendants have not taken steps to prevent their use of ChatGPT."
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
The kids and preteens in the youngest generation have grown up with the ability to watch any movie on any device anytime and anywhere they desire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025
Bubble launched in 2020 as a Gen Z-oriented brand, with eye-catching packaging in vibrant colors and bold fonts, and quickly caught on with preteens as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2024
Now, all 284 million of those people will probably not vote for Harris, in part because many of them are preteens and/or residents of foreign countries.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2024
By the time Dad gets home with the pizza, the two of them are screeching like preteens, and all is back to normal.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
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.
