preemie

noun

pree·​mie ˈprē-mē How to pronounce preemie (audio)
variants or less commonly
: a premature baby

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web My goal is to impart this knowledge with other preemie families out there. Amy Shoenthal, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023 Ayra – born a preemie at just 36 weeks and 6 days – had already proved to be a fighter: Her first day on Earth was spent in the NICU because of fluid in her lungs. Christina Zdanowicz, CNN, 20 Nov. 2022 Evolutionarily speaking, every human is a bit of a preemie. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Oct. 2022 Beatrix Quidort was a micro-preemie -- one pound, five ounces at birth. CBS News, 23 Dec. 2018 The mother to a micro-preemie baby, Peranteau drew on this experience to develop a design that would suit little Rosie. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 15 Feb. 2022 After experiencing the loss of a child, Liam, a preemie who died at just five weeks, Mattie Mitchell has been the unseen hand behind an untold number of joyful surprises in Nashville, Tennessee. CBS News, 30 Dec. 2021 Her son Liam, a preemie, died at just one month old. Steve Hartman, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2021 Perry depends on the preemie diapers at Bread for the City. Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preemie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

premature + -ie

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of preemie was in 1927

Dictionary Entries Near preemie

Cite this Entry

“Preemie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preemie. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.

Medical Definition

preemie

noun
pree·​mie
variants or premie
: a baby born prematurely

More from Merriam-Webster on preemie

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!


Which Came First?

  • baby chick with a brown egg
  • hot take or cold shoulder?
Spell It

Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY