preteen

1 of 2

noun

pre·​teen ˈprē-ˈtēn 

-ˌtēn

: a boy or girl not yet 13 years old

preteen

2 of 2

adjective

1

: relating to or produced for children especially in the 9 to 12 year-old age group

preteen fashions

2

: being younger than 13

Examples of preteen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Her preteen nephew acts sort of over Aunt A’ja. —Sean Gregory, Time, 10 Dec. 2025

Though preteens, teens and young adults are the target audience, there are smaller machines for young kids and a sense claw machine nostalgia and fun for adults, especially with the retro vibe to the Detroit Klaws brand, the Pians said. —Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 8 Dec. 2025

Adjective

But whoever decided this must have an impressively hungry family: football players, Olympic swimmers, or preteen boys. —Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 18 Nov. 2025

Another instructor took advantage of the captive audience to share his political beliefs, with great volume and conviction, to the mostly preteen students. —The Editors, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1938, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for preteen

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between

Kids Definition

preteen

1 of 2 noun

pre·​teen ˈprē-ˈtēn 

: a boy or girl not yet 13 years old

preteen

2 of 2 adjective

1

: relating to or produced for children especially in the 9 to 12 year-old age group

preteen fashions

2

: being younger than 13 years old