preteen

noun

pre·teen | \ ˈprē-ˈtēn

, -ˌtēn\

Definition of preteen

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a boy or girl not yet 13 years old

preteen

adjective

Definition of preteen (Entry 2 of 2)

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

The worst part is seeing that their preteens were forced to grow up too soon. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Cross-border schooling ends Tijuana Little League dream of making World Series," 3 Aug. 2019 The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents place consistent limits on how many hours per day their preteens or teens spend using screens. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN, "Increasing social media use tied to rise in teens' depressive symptoms, study says," 15 July 2019 Braun, 38, famously discovered Bieber back in 2008 when the Stratford, Ontario, native was a preteen crooning R&B covers on YouTube. — Bethonie Butler, chicagotribune.com, "How Scooter Braun, the mogul embroiled in the Taylor Swift drama, became so powerful," 3 July 2019 Braun, 38, famously discovered Bieber back in 2008 when the Stratford, Ontario native was a preteen crooning R&B covers on YouTube. — Bethonie Butler, Washington Post, "How Scooter Braun, the mogul embroiled in the Taylor Swift drama, became so powerful," 2 July 2019 Olivia Thirlby stars as Holly, who as a preteen lost her mother — the one person in her family who understood her bookish, introverted personality. — Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, "Review: Dinosaur-riding Nazis in ‘Iron Sky, The Coming Race’ and more," 18 July 2019 This part of the busy, teeming picture won’t be for everyone, certainly not for every preteen hoodwinked by the film’s G rating. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "‘Toy Story 4’ review: Triumph of the spork!," 18 June 2019 This came on the heels of last week’s social media nightmare, featuring YouTube serving pedophiles videos of preteens in bathing suits. — Jeff Berman, Vox, "Big Tech needs regulation, but DC must go to school before it goes to work," 14 June 2019 Surveys show that four out of five American preteens use some form of social media, with YouTube being the most popular but Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat also widely used — even though all four services officially prohibit users younger than 13. — Craig Timberg, Washington Post, "Sex, drugs, and self-harm: Where 20 years of child online protection law went wrong," 13 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

What would Del Toro-lite be like when adapting a hair-raising favorite from the glut of preteen horror series out there? — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, "Review: ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ sees Guillermo del Toro get his teen horror freak on," 8 Aug. 2019 What would Del Toro-lite be like when adapting a hair-raising favorite from the glut of preteen horror series out there? — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ sees del Toro get his teen horror freak on," 8 Aug. 2019 Katla soon finds a suitable husband (Valdimar Orn Flygenring, a bit wooden and hardly up to the level of his co-stars), but his preteen son (Geirlaug Sunna Pormar) longs for his deceased birth mother and has no interest in his father’s new love. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "‘The Juniper Tree’ review: When the Brothers Grimm traveled to Iceland, with Bjork," 10 July 2019 Outside, ATVs commanded by preteen boys in cowboy hats occupy parking spaces beside full-sized pickups. — Gregory Barber, WIRED, "Inside an All-White Town’s Divisive Experiment With Cryptocurrency," 6 June 2019 German filmmaker Viktor Jakovleski follows one family in particular, looking at the cottage industry, culture and festival through the eyes of their preteen son, Santiago. — Lorraine Ali, latimes.com, "Review: 'Brimstone & Glory' looks at a small town in Mexico where fireworks are made," 1 July 2018 The artist from Austin, Texas, has her first exhibition in L.A. at the Luis De Jesus gallery, and the collage and text works explore preteen awkwardness and the syncretic nature of black female identity. — Sharon Mizota, latimes.com, "Deborah Roberts' powerful statement of black female identity," 29 May 2018 When Joie Manda was 12 years old, Mongoose bicycles were all the rage among his preteen friends in Brooklyn -- for everyone but him. — Gail Mitchell, Billboard, "Interscope EVP Joie Manda Makes a Case for Major Labels & Why It's the 'Strongest Time Ever for Female Rap'," 16 Feb. 2018 Go because Meg Murry is still the ultimate hero for an entire generation of preteen girls. — Emma Krupp, RedEye Chicago, "Your winter movie preview: 30 reasons to go to a show," 10 Jan. 2018

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