plural cherubs or cherubim
ˈcher-ə-ˌbim 
ˈker-,
also ˈcher-yə-
1
2
plural usually cherubs
a
: a beautiful usually winged child in painting and sculpture
b
: an innocent-looking usually chubby and rosy person
This torrent of arcane football lingo spewed from the lips of a red-haired, freckle-faced cherub …—
Tim Layden
Tim LaydenExamples of cherub in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Italy, where statues grace piazzas, carved cherubs cling to building facades, and ancient crosses are everywhere, Elswit’s postcard panoramas could come straight out of mid-century Italian films by Fellini or Antonioni or Rossellini.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Who is Cupid? Cupid, the arrow-shooting cherub associated with Valentine's Day, is rooted in both Roman and Greek mythology.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2024
The castle was also decorated with cherubs, miniature renaissance paintings and silk flowers.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
My favorite, predictably, was the Tunnel of Love, where couples can pose on a vintage pink Cadillac under a roof painted with cherubs.
—Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2024
There is no trace here of the pubescent figure with noticeable nipples or of the decorative, soft-cheeked cherub.
—Farah Peterson, The Atlantic, 14 Dec. 2023
After the ceremony, Shawn and Matt snuck away to read private vows to each other as guests walked across the grounds to Cranbrook House for cocktails, picking off bites of the cheese urns underneath the school’s stone cherub statues.
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2023
Did your sister really give you a plaster cherub with a clock in its stomach?
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2024
Mendoza stopped to eye a pair of fat-cheeked cherubs carved from wood.
—Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2023
Judy Berman, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Who is Cupid? Cupid, the arrow-shooting cherub associated with Valentine's Day, is rooted in both Roman and Greek mythology.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2024
The castle was also decorated with cherubs, miniature renaissance paintings and silk flowers.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
My favorite, predictably, was the Tunnel of Love, where couples can pose on a vintage pink Cadillac under a roof painted with cherubs.
—Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2024
There is no trace here of the pubescent figure with noticeable nipples or of the decorative, soft-cheeked cherub.
—Farah Peterson, The Atlantic, 14 Dec. 2023
After the ceremony, Shawn and Matt snuck away to read private vows to each other as guests walked across the grounds to Cranbrook House for cocktails, picking off bites of the cheese urns underneath the school’s stone cherub statues.
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2023
Did your sister really give you a plaster cherub with a clock in its stomach?
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2024
Mendoza stopped to eye a pair of fat-cheeked cherubs carved from wood.
—Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cherub.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cherub
Cite this Entry
“Cherub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cherub. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cherub
noun
cher·ub
ˈcher-əb
1
: a painting or drawing of a beautiful child usually with wings
2
: a chubby rosy child
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