preteen

1 of 2

noun

pre·​teen ˈprē-ˈtēn 

-ˌtēn

: a boy or girl not yet 13 years old

preteen

2 of 2

adjective

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

Noun

Along with his older sister, North, and his two younger siblings, Chicago and Psalm, Saint has been featured in several photos shared by his mom, from birth to the brink of his preteen years. —Maria Yagoda, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025

Because of time’s arrow, my daughter, who was once a toddler, is now a preteen. —Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 28 Nov. 2025

Adjective

But whoever decided this must have an impressively hungry family: football players, Olympic swimmers, or preteen boys. —Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 3 Nov. 2025

Another instructor took advantage of the captive audience to share his political beliefs, with great volume and conviction, to the mostly preteen students. —The Editors, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1938, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for preteen

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between

Kids Definition

preteen

1 of 2 noun

pre·​teen ˈprē-ˈtēn 

: a boy or girl not yet 13 years old

preteen

2 of 2 adjective

1

: 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