childhood

noun

child·​hood ˈchī(-ə)ld-ˌhu̇d 

1

: the state or period of being a child

2

: the early period in the development of something

Synonyms of childhood

• youth
• adolescence

Examples of childhood in a Sentence

diseases that can occur in childhood

Both men had unhappy childhoods.

Recent Examples on the Web

Many of us learn this bias in childhood. —Arkansas Online, 2 Feb. 2026

With his car in the shop, Audrey drives Eli to work and school and the two grow closer as Audrey comes to grips with an abusive childhood and Eli wrestles with his shady past. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026

My childhood house backed up to Bailey’s Woods, which connects the University of Mississippi to Rowan Oak, the home of William Faulkner. —Erin Austen Abbott, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026

Chris Rock served as the beloved narrator of Everybody Hates Chris – providing the adult perspective on the childhood experiences shown on screen. —Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing childhood

• childhood friend
• second childhood

Rhymes for childhood

• allgood
• basswood
• beechwood
• bellwood
• birchwood
• boxwood
• boyhood
• brushwood
• cordwood
• dogwood
• driftwood
• falsehood

Kids Definition

childhood

noun

child·​hood ˈchīld-ˌhu̇d 

: the state or time of being a child

Medical Definition

childhood

noun

child·​hood ˈchīld-ˌhu̇d 

: the state or period of being a child