plural babies
1
a(1)
: an extremely young child
especially
: infant
She just had a baby.
I hear the baby crying.
—sometimes used of an adult daughter or son to express parental nostalgia or affection Our baby has gone off to college.
You'll always be my baby.
(2)
: an extremely young animal
b
: the youngest of a group
He is the baby of the family.
2
a
: one that is like a baby (as in behavior)
When it comes to getting shots, I'm a real baby.
b
: something that is one's special responsibility, achievement, or interest
The project was his baby.
3
1
: of, relating to, or being an extremely young child
a baby bonnet
2
: much smaller than the usual
baby carrots
a baby grand piano
Take baby steps.
babied; babying
1
: to tend to indulge with often excessive or inappropriate care and solicitude
babying their only child
2
: to use or treat with care
babying a sore knee
Examples of baby in a Sentence
Noun
I hear the baby crying.
The baby is just learning to crawl.
a bird and its babies
My sister is the baby of the family.
“Only 32? Oh, you're just a baby!”
When it comes to getting shots, I'm a real baby.
Don't be such a baby—you'll get your turn.
Nothing's gone right since my baby went away.
Verb
That boy will never learn to stand up for himself if you don't stop babying him.
He was babying his injured foot.
Recent Examples on the Web
CBS News, 27 Apr. 2025
Inside are nestled a half-dozen standard-size dumplings of your choice, like nothing so much as a clutch of tiny, steamy babies, with a few drifts of black pepper freshly ground over the top.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2025
Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025
While her older brother, Crown Prince Hussein, is the heir to the throne, Iman is not in the line of succession—and neither may her baby.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baby
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
President Gerald Ford holds a Vietnamese baby on an Air Force bus in California in April 1975.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2025
Inside are nestled a half-dozen standard-size dumplings of your choice, like nothing so much as a clutch of tiny, steamy babies, with a few drifts of black pepper freshly ground over the top.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
The seven-minute announcement opened with cinematic footage of both parents reading messages to they baby on the way, who is expected in October 2025.
—Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025
While her older brother, Crown Prince Hussein, is the heir to the throne, Iman is not in the line of succession—and neither may her baby.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for baby
Cite this Entry
“Baby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baby. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
baby
2 of 3 adjective1
: being or relating to a baby
a baby deer
my baby sister
baby clothes
2
: much smaller than usual
a baby grand piano
baby carrots
baby
3 of 3 verb
babied; babying
1
: to use or treat as a baby : pet
2
: to operate or treat with care
babied the car
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