: a boy or girl not yet 13 years old
1
: relating to or produced for children especially in the 9 to 12 year-old age group
preteen fashions
2
: being younger than 13
Examples of preteen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
Like most preteens, Eric is all about sports and music.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 2 June 2026
Adam England, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026
People packed into cars with their aging relatives and their preteen children.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preteen
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Noun
The New Jersey preteen was struck in the neck by a baseball during pregame warm-ups with Maple Shade Youth Baseball on May 26.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
Like most preteens, Eric is all about sports and music.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 2 June 2026
Adjective
Kaylee isn't the only preteen to have made the news for selling lemonade in recent days.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026
People packed into cars with their aging relatives and their preteen children.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preteen
Cite this Entry
“Preteen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preteen. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
preteen
1 of 2 noun
pre·teen
ˈprē-ˈtēn 
: a boy or girl not yet 13 years old
preteen
2 of 2 adjective1
: relating to or produced for children especially in the 9 to 12 year-old age group
preteen fashions
2
: being younger than 13 years old
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