child

noun

ˈchī(-ə)ld 

plural children ˈchil-drən 

-dərn

often attributive

1

a

: a young person especially between infancy and puberty

a play for both children and adults

b

: a person not yet of the age of majority (see majority sense 2a)

Under the law she is still a child.

c

: a childlike or childish person

He is a child in most business matters.

2

a

: a son or daughter of human parents

Do you have any children?

b

: descendant

the children of Israel

3

a

: an unborn or recently born person

… Meghan Markle, married Prince Harry, now pregnant with child.

—Laura Simonetti

b

dialect : a female infant

4

: one strongly influenced by another or by a place or state of affairs

a child of the streets

a child of nature

America has been called "the first child of the Enlightenment"

5

: product, result

barbed wire … is truly a child of the plains

—W. P. Webb

6

usually childe

ˈchī(-ə)ld 

archaic : a youth of noble birth

childless

ˈchī(-ə)l(d)-ləs 

adjective

childlessness noun

Phrases

with child

: pregnant

Did you know?

Is the word kid slang?

Some people worry that kid, when used of a child rather than a juvenile goat, is either slang or too colloquial to merit acceptance in standard English.

The fact is that we have been using kid to refer to a child that is human, rather than goatish, for more than three hundred years now. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that although this word was considered “low slang” when it first began being used, it had entered “familiar speech” by the 19th century.

In contemporary English, kid is neither slang nor improper. It is, however, most definitely informal, so those writing professionally or in a formal register might prefer to use child.

Synonyms

• bairn [chiefly Scottish]
• bambino
• bud
• chap [Southern & Midland]
• chick
• cub
• juvenile
• kid
• kiddie
• kiddy
• kiddo
• moppet
• sprat
• sprout
• squirt
• whelp
• youngling
• youngster
• youth

Examples of child in a Sentence

the birth of a child

She's pregnant with their first child.

a play for both children and adults

All of their children are grown now.

an elderly couple and their adult children

Men are such children sometimes.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the children of director David Cronenberg have turned out to be chips off the old shock-theater block. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Apr. 2024

Myopia rates for Inuit went from the single digits before the 1950s to upwards of 70% by the 1970s as all children began attending schools for the first time. —Andrew Herbert, Discover Magazine, 27 Apr. 2024

Family-Friendly Offerings As a private island experience, activities are tailored to each guest, including children. —Kendall Hill, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2024

Gaddy and her three children were all diagnosed with asthma; her eldest son died of a heart attack in 2021 at the age of 32. —Matt Simon, WIRED, 27 Apr. 2024

The brunch menu features breakfast items and entrees, fresh fruits, salads and assorted desserts, priced at $24.99 for adults, $16.99 for children ages 7 to 10, $9.99 for children 4 to 6 and free for children 3 and under. —Journal Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2024

Williams reportedly activated his Taser three times next to the child. —Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 26 Apr. 2024

This year, 24 children aged 3-5 were enrolled in the school, the smallest enrollment in the school's history. —Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 26 Apr. 2024

Last November, the ACLU, Lambda Legal and other nonprofit advocacy groups asked the Supreme Court to review a September 2023 decision by the 6th Circuit that upheld laws that bar transgender children in Tennessee and Kentucky from accessing puberty blockers and hormones. —Ann Marimow, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English cild; akin to Goth kilthei womb, and perhaps to Sanskrit jaṭhara belly

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Phrases Containing child

• as a child
• battered child syndrome
• big with child
• boomerang child
• child benefit
• child care
• child-rearing
• child's play
• child support
• chrisom child
• flower child
• foster child
• great with child
• latchkey child
• love child
• man-child
• only child
• poster child
• with child

Kids Definition

child

noun

ˈchīld 

plural children ˈchil-drən 

-dərn

1

: an unborn or recently born person

2

a

: a young person especially between infancy and youth

b

: a childlike or childish person

3

: a son or daughter of human parents

childless

ˈchīl(d)-ləs 

adjective

Medical Definition

child

noun

ˈchī(ə)ld 

plural children ˈchil-drən, -dərn 

1

: an unborn or recently born person

2

: a young person especially between infancy and youth

Legal Definition

child

noun

plural children

1

: a son or daughter of any age and usually including one formally adopted compare issue

Note: The word child as used in a statute or will is often held to include a stepchild, an illegitimate child, a person for whom one stands in loco parentis, or sometimes a more remote descendant, such as a grandchild. In interpreting the word child as used in a will, the court will try to effectuate the intent of the person who made the will as it can be determined from the language of the will.

2

: a person below an age specified by law : infant, minor

assault on a child under 16 years of age

compare adult

Note: A person who is below the statutory age but is married will usually be considered an adult.

Biographical Definition

Child 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈchī(-ə)ld 

Francis James 1825–1896 American ballad editor

Child

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Julia (Carolyn) 1912–2004 née McWilliams American chef