child
noun
a person between birth and puberty or full growth.
Jump to:
child
1 American
[chahyld]
/ tʃaɪld /
noun
children
plural
-
a person between birth and puberty or full growth.
books for children.
-
a son or daughter; offspring considered with regard to parents.
All my children are married.
-
a baby or infant.
A child of six months can recognize family members.
-
a human fetus.
My sister is seven months pregnant with a healthy child.
-
a childish person.
He's such a child about money.
-
a descendant.
a child of an ancient breed.
-
any person or thing regarded as the product or result of particular agencies, influences, etc..
Abstract art is a child of the 20th century.
-
a person regarded as conditioned or marked by a given circumstance, situation, etc..
a child of poverty; a child of famine.
-
British Dialect, Archaic. a female infant.
-
Archaic. childe.
idioms
Child
2
American
[chahyld]
/ tʃaɪld /
noun
-
Julia, 1912–2004, U.S. gourmet cook, author, and television personality.
-
Lydia Maria (Francis), 1802–80, U.S. author, abolitionist, and social reformer.
child
British
/ tʃaɪld /
noun
-
-
a boy or girl between birth and puberty
-
( as modifier )
child labour
-
-
a baby or infant
-
an unborn baby
-
another term for pregnant
-
a human offspring; a son or daughter
-
a childish or immature person
-
a member of a family or tribe; descendant
a child of Israel
-
a person or thing regarded as the product of an influence or environment
a child of nature
-
dialect a female infant
child
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of child
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English cild; akin to Gothic kilthai “womb”
Explanation
A child is a young person who's typically older than a baby but younger than a teen. As a child, you probably had your parents watching over you as you played in a sandbox. The noun child come from the Old English word cild, meaning "child, infant." Retaining a similar meaning into modern times, the word still refers to a young person, male or female. But you can be considered a child after reaching adulthood — in the eyes of your parents, at least. Immature behavior like throwing a temper tantrum can also mark you as a child. The word can also refer to someone in a clan or tribe, young or old.
Vocabulary lists containing child
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.
Forster, who gave birth to her first child last year, said she felt "proud" of the name change and it would help shift understanding of the condition.
From BBC • May 31, 2026
According to the lawsuit, the child consumed the kofta at The Kebab Shop on Los Feliz Boulevard on or about April 1.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026
According to Soto, who is expecting her third child, the fact that her husband was married to an American citizen and had two children who were also citizens was of no consequence.
From Salon • May 30, 2026
The author’s mother and father went into hiding and had their first child, Mr. Dohrn, in 1977, while they were living as fugitives.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
I squeezed my pillow around my head like a child in a thunderstorm.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
