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

Classroom technology use has been a stressor for India Brookover of Granada Hills, whose daughter will be entering transitional kindergarten, or TK, next year and whose screen time in preschool has been near zero. —Kate Sequeira, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026

The five-year-old was a kindergarten student at Timberline Elementary School. —Christa Swanson, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026

The group applied to open a statewide online charter school serving kindergarten through 12th grade students beginning next school year. —Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026

The award recognizes principals or heads of school at the pre-kindergarten through 12th grade levels who have made a sustained impact on the school community and students. —Alexandra Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 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"