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

Is there continuity between preschool, kindergarten, and elementary education? — Jose Bolaños, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026

Many have seen sharp declines in vaccination rates—kindergarten MMR vaccinations in Idaho, for instance, has seen a drop of 15 percentage points in the past decade. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2026

That couldn’t be further from the truth, according to the kindergarten teacher herself. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026

But Mira’s daughter was thriving in kindergarten, already speaking English perfectly. — Ledio Cakaj, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 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"