kindergarten

noun

kin·​der·​gar·​ten ˈkin-dər-ˌgär-tᵊn 

ˈkin-də-, 

-dᵊn

plural kindergartens

: a school or class for children usually from five to six years old

Examples of kindergarten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shekian, 26, is a kindergarten teacher on the upper East Side, and first had Kesh take her picture as kind of a gag. —Meena Duerson, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025

Burchfield, Marzolf, Scott and Reserve — open for kindergarten through third grade. —Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025

Diana Isom, a 28-year-old substitute teacher, said PBS programs have made a difference for her autistic son, who initially had difficulty speaking and walking but now is at kindergarten level while still in preschool. —Kim Chandler, Fortune, 19 Nov. 2025

Giving back to the Charlotte community In kindergarten at Piney Grove Elementary School, a Charlotte Symphony program brought musical instruments to Cummings’ class. —Virginia Brown, Charlotte Observer, 19 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

German, from Kinder children + Garten garden

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kindergarten

• carton
• garten
• marten
• parton
• quartan
• spartan
• tartan

Kids Definition

kindergarten

noun

kin·​der·​gar·​ten ˈkin-də(r)-ˌgärt-ᵊn 

-ˌgärd-

: a school or class for very young children

Etymology

from German kindergarten "a school for very young children," from kinder "children" and garten "garden"