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

The preteen enjoyed a fun outing at the Coachella Music Festival with Dewan and her fiancé, Steve Kazee, earlier this month. —Rachel McRady, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025

While these chaotic videos of preteens taking over Sephora have come to represent how young girls experience the beauty industry, not all are interested in what's popular on TikTok. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025

Adjective

After all, the preteen style icon never shied away from pattern or rewearing her favorite pieces (IYKYK). —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 17 Apr. 2025

Zaire, now 23, thinks the diary was crucial in helping him through his preteen years. —D. Watkins, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 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