Synonyms

'tween

American

[tween] / twin /

preposition

contraction of between.

noun

Also tween, a youngster between 10 and 12 years of age, considered too old to be a child and too young to be a teenager.

'tween British

/ twiːn /

contraction

between

"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

Etymology

Origin of 'tween

1250–1300; Middle English twene, aphetic variant of atwene ( a- ¹ ) or betwene between

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.

It’s the proverbial issue of “jumping the shark,” especially given the fact that the “Stranger Things” principal characters have now aged out of their adorable tween selves — and it was their youthful sensibility that helped give the series its initial spark.

From MarketWatch

The aims are actually the same when tween girls in Florida can be barred from mentioning their periods while also being abandoned to the whims of a mass shooter: that is to ultimately return women and girls to what the Christian nationalist movement views as their rightful place, the home.

From Slate

Later, it says social apps “hijack a tween and teen compulsion — to connect — that can be even more powerful than hunger or greed.”

From Washington Post

But he began his career styling Zendaya, using fashion to help elevate the actress from a Disney Channel tween to a red carpet icon.

From BBC

These projects join Netflix’s existing teen, tween and 20-something content such as “Shadow and Bone,” “Heartstopper,” “Never Have I Ever” and “The Kissing Booth” trilogy.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023