youth

noun

ˈyüth 

plural youths ˈyüt͟hz  ˈyüths 

often attributive

1

a

: the time of life when one is young

especially : the period between childhood and maturity

b

: the early period of existence, growth, or development

2

a

: a young person

especially : a young male between adolescence and maturity

b

: young persons or creatures

—usually plural in construction

3

: the quality or state of being youthful : youthfulness

Synonyms of youth

• boy
• teenager
• kid
• adolescent

Examples of youth in a Sentence

She had a troubled youth.

He spent his youth in the Midwest.

He got into a lot of trouble in his youth.

a generation trying to recapture lost youth

when the industry was still in its youth

Four youths are suspected of starting the fire.

Recent Examples on the Web

Police said a dark Chevrolet pickup drove onto a field during a youth soccer game and struck children and adults. — Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026

The driver of a pickup truck that plowed onto a Kansas soccer field, killing a young boy and a man, has been released without charges as investigators work to determine what turned a Saturday afternoon of youth sports into tragedy. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Since 2005, KidsMatter joined the city to recognize youth volunteers. — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

For Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at Eurasia Group, France is suffering from a crisis of liberal democracy, a crisis of fiscal mismanagement, and a crisis of youth disaffection. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English youthe, from Old English geoguth; akin to Old English geong young — more at young

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing youth

• fountain of youth
• in the flower of one's youth
• misspent youth
• the youth
• youth club
• youth hostel
• youth rally

Rhymes for youth

• bluetooth
• forsooth
• sawtooth
• tolbooth
• uncouth
• untruth
• vermouth
• luth
• muth
• sleuth
• tooth

Kids Definition

youth

noun

ˈyüth 

plural youths ˈyüt͟hz  ˈyüths 

1

: the time of life when one is young

especially : the period between childhood and adulthood

2

a

: a young man

b

: young people

the youth of today

—usually used with a plural verb

3

: the quality or state of being young