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
Examples of childhood in a Sentence
diseases that can occur in childhood
Both men had unhappy childhoods.
Recent Examples on the Web
This dreamscape of the island, like that of the jungle, illuminates in children’s literature a sense of utopia and longing about childhood as a not-quite-place, situated in an irretrievable past-yet-future, while at the same time rooted in an anti-utopian logic of adulthood.
—
Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
His curiosity, sharpened by a childhood spent devouring science, coding and physics courses—often encouraged by his mother who challenged him to question the status quo—turned into something bigger than a school project.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2025
That same vaccine advisory group is also considering the safety of vaccine ingredients, like aluminum, which would impact a number of childhood shots.
—CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025
Removing aluminum, or even issuing a warning about its use, would affect some of the most important childhood shots, including those for DTaP, hepatitis A and B, HPV, pneumococcal and meningitis.
—Elvia Limon, The Hill, 16 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for childhood
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
His curiosity, sharpened by a childhood spent devouring science, coding and physics courses—often encouraged by his mother who challenged him to question the status quo—turned into something bigger than a school project.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2025
That same vaccine advisory group is also considering the safety of vaccine ingredients, like aluminum, which would impact a number of childhood shots.
—CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025
Removing aluminum, or even issuing a warning about its use, would affect some of the most important childhood shots, including those for DTaP, hepatitis A and B, HPV, pneumococcal and meningitis.
—Elvia Limon, The Hill, 16 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for childhood
Cite this Entry
“Childhood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/childhood. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share