: 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
Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 15 Oct. 2025
Hailey Brown, 26, began watching YouTube as a preteen on her iPod Touch in Springfield, Missouri.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Anna Halkidis, Parents, 8 Oct. 2025
Unlike the High School Musical franchise—whose third film received a theatrical release—few modern preteen narratives reach that level of success.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preteen
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Noun
McNicoll’s compassionate, immersive writing has wide appeal for preteen and teen readers, both those neurotypical and neurodivergent.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 15 Oct. 2025
Hailey Brown, 26, began watching YouTube as a preteen on her iPod Touch in Springfield, Missouri.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
One thing Dewan wasn’t expecting about the preteen years?
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 8 Oct. 2025
Unlike the High School Musical franchise—whose third film received a theatrical release—few modern preteen narratives reach that level of success.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preteen
Cite this Entry
“Preteen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preteen. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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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