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:
But that is a moot point: Ever since she was a toddler she’s never hesitated to take issue with me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Whether or not you think she’s guilty of fraud, she is about to be separated from her infant and toddler until they’re in grade school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 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
Reached over, plucked Rock off the bench where he’d been cowering and reeking of urinal cakes and dragged him behind us like a toddler dragging a security blanket.
From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen
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
More than 40,000 cases – which range from coughs to bronchitis and more serious conditions like pneumonia – involve toddlers.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Testing sound mixes at home with his daughter, he learned to balance the heavy beat with clear vocal tracks and familiar melodies so toddlers could still recognize the song.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
“The biggest impact will be on infants, toddlers and student parents who need child care,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Others are toddlers, or the same age as we were when we attended Central.
From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
