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 superintendent's proposal considers increasing class sizes for first through 12th grad to 25 students, with pre-k and kindergarten classes remaining the same. —Adam Thompson, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026

In a July 2025 Daily Mail interview, Ryan revealed Molly was a kindergarten teacher. —Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026

Annual data on kindergarten vaccination rates show an increasing rate of North Carolina parents aren’t fully vaccinating their kids at the start of the school year. —Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2026

While kindergarten through second grade students are equipped with percussion instruments such as shakers to learn basic rhythm lessons, and fifth-graders have wind instruments and xylophones for their music lessons, the third- and fourth-graders didn’t have any instruments. —Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 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
• quartan
• 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"