kindergarten

noun

kin·​der·​gar·​ten ˈkin-dər-ˌgär-tᵊn 

ˈkin-də-, 

-dᵊn

plural kindergartens

: a school or class for children usually from five to six years old

Examples of kindergarten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2013, lawmakers created EdChoice Expansion, initially allowing kindergarten students whose family income was at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines to qualify, regardless of how their local public schools performed. — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

The school enrolls more than 400 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

Justin Penfield's 6-year-old son was in his kindergarten classroom at Silver Rail yesterday when the shooting occurred. — Irene Byon, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026

The school has students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with about 450 enrolled last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education. — Haven Daley, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

German, from Kinder children + Garten garden

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kindergarten

• carton
• garten
• marten
• parton
• spartan
• tartan

Kids Definition

kindergarten

noun

kin·​der·​gar·​ten ˈkin-də(r)-ˌgärt-ᵊn 

-ˌgärd-

: a school or class for very young children

Etymology

from German kindergarten "a school for very young children," from kinder "children" and garten "garden"