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

The proposition requires all public schools, kindergarten through college, to designate sports teams as male-only and female-only. — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026

School readiness measures how prepared a child is to succeed in a formal school setting — such as kindergarten — physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally. — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Nov. 2026

His father worked at a wholesaler for industrial bakeries; his mother was a kindergarten teacher. — Matt Alt, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026

Roseville City School District election results Three other contests involved seats on the Roseville City School District board, which oversaw schools serving students from transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 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"