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puberty

American  
[pyoo-ber-tee] / ˈpyu bər ti /

noun

  1. the period or age at which a person is first capable of sexual reproduction of offspring: in common law, presumed to be 14 years in the male and 12 years in the female.

puberty British  
/ ˈpjuːbətɪ /

noun

  1. Also called: pubescence.  the period at the beginning of adolescence when the sex glands become functional and the secondary sexual characteristics emerge

"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
puberty Scientific  
/ pyo̅o̅′bər-tē /

  1. The stage in the development of humans and other primates marked by the development of secondary sex characteristics, including menarche in females. In humans, puberty occurs at the onset of adolescence, between the ages of about 11 and 14 in girls and 13 and 16 in boys.

Other Word Forms

  • postpuberty adjective
  • pubertal adjective

Etymology

Origin of puberty

1350–1400; Middle English puberte < Latin pūbertās adulthood, equivalent to pūber- , stem of pūbēs grown-up + -tās -ty 2

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.

Scientists still have unanswered questions about whether melatonin could influence puberty, immune function, metabolism, or neurological development when used over extended periods.

From Science Daily • Mar. 15, 2026

The first original movies Pixar made under Docter included “Luca,” about a shy Italian boy who’s secretly a sea creature, and “Turning Red,” about a Chinese-Canadian girl who transforms into a giant panda during puberty.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

As athletes progress through the sport, growth spurts or puberty can interrupt athletic progress, especially during jumps.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

Puberty blockers - which suppress the hormones that cause puberty - are often prescribed to children questioning their gender as a way of stopping physical changes such as breast development or facial hair.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

Now that I was wearing hijab to school every day since I’d officially hit puberty, and I was in seventh grade, my life had gotten complicated.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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.