toddler
Americannoun
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:
Her childhood had been chaotic after her parents divorced when she was a toddler, she says, but she didn’t view it as so extreme.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
A soccer dome opening in the hometown of Erling Haaland when he was a toddler was the equivalent of the Cavern Club opening in Liverpool when The Beatles were teenagers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Stefan said he initially thought the toddler was swimming, before the reality "clicked" and he jumped in and pulled the him out.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
During the call, employees allegedly said they did not think the toddler needed to be picked up early.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Klaus, meanwhile, had his pajamas removed by the other white-faced woman, and was hurriedly stuffed into a blue sailor suit that itched and made him look like a toddler.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
Dave Eddon, 42, and wife Claire had decided to extend their property in Higher Kinnerton, Flintshire, as they raised a one-year-old baby, and toddlers, aged two and four.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
“If dads had higher prenatal cortisol and partners were more weakly linked, toddlers did worse on the executive functioning task, perhaps because the dads were less attuned to their partners and less primed to parent.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
One has living-room furniture, and another has a small table for toddlers and a toy train.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Beneath azure skies and fluffy white clouds, three giggling toddlers and their mothers arrive at a candy-colored water park in the town of CoComelon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
At her new home in the northeastern United States, her mother cleaned house and babysat two toddlers.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
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.
