toddler
Americannoun
-
toddlers
plural
noun
-
a young child, usually one between the ages of one and two and a half
-
(modifier) designed or suitable for a toddler
toddler suits
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of toddler
Explanation
Use the noun toddler to describe a small child who is just learning how to walk. A toddler is older than a baby but not quite old enough for elementary school. It's the time in a child's life when she reaches all kinds of milestones: walking, talking, playing with other kids, and more. The word toddler was first used in 1793, and it developed out of the Scottish word toddle, or "to run or walk with short, unsteady steps."
Vocabulary lists containing toddler
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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:
Infant, toddler and preschool billings dropped 11% on lower Fisher-Price demand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
A one-year-old toddler stumbles around an immigration court in Louisiana, crying.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
The toddler doesn’t know what’s causing the muffled explosions across the city, says her mother, Tetiana.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
The toddler became separated from a relative after visiting a playground in Merriam Close, Brantham, on Tuesday afternoon, Suffolk Police said.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
I sounded like a toddler crying for their mother.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Saturday's schedule saw the return of events for junior runners and toddlers, after fears over Storm Amy last year forced them to be cancelled.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
As he spoke, mothers in the back rows swayed from side to side, hugging exhausted toddlers who had missed nap time.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
As Lenny left the stage, an exodus of crying babies, sugar-crashed toddlers and bleary-eyed parents trickled down the steep stairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Declining enrollment in California public schools is spawning a new and growing partnership that is helping to keep child-care centers in business — vacant classrooms are being filled with toddlers and babies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
He slept, snoring, on his folded blanket most of the day, and it was the toddlers who grabbed and gnawed.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
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.
