preschool

1 of 2

adjective

pre·​school ˈprē-ˌskül 

(ˌ)prē-ˈskül

: of, relating to, or constituting the period in a child's life that ordinarily precedes attendance at elementary school

preschool

2 of 2

noun

pre·​school ˈprē-ˌskül 

: a school for children usually younger than those attending elementary school or kindergarten : nursery school

Synonyms of preschool

Noun

• nursery

Examples of preschool in a Sentence

Noun

children excited about starting preschool

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Edwards, 20, one of the preschool teachers, led the art lesson for children to make dragonflies. —William J. Ford, Baltimore Sun, 25 May 2026

Thursday’s resolutions listed 93 classified employees and one preschool employee set to receive final layoff notices. —Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026

Noun

Vazquez attended preschool through fifth grade at Washington Elementary School in Little Italy in the San Diego Unified School District, a district spokesperson said. —Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026

In March, a man bearing an AR-15-style rifle crashed a car loaded with improvised explosives into a Michigan Jewish preschool near dismissal time. —David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1914, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1925, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preschool

• ampoule
• bascule
• carpool
• cesspool
• ferrule
• footstool
• guayule
• lobule
• misrule
• pustule
• whirlpool
• boule

Kids Definition

preschool

1 of 2 adjective

pre·​school ˈprē-ˌskül 

: of, relating to, or being the period in a child's life to the age of five or six that ordinarily precedes attendance at school

preschool

2 of 2 noun

: a school for children usually younger than those attending elementary school or kindergarten : nursery school