\ ˈyəŋ 
\
\younger\ ˈyəŋ-gər \; youngest\ ˈyəŋ-gəst \
\; youngest\ ˈyəŋ-gəst \Definition of young
(Entry 1 of 8)
1a : being in the first or an early stage of life, growth, or development
b : junior sense 1a
c : of an early, tender, or desirable age for use as food or drink
fresh young lamb a young wine
2 : having little experience
3a : recently come into being : new a young publishing company
b : youthful sense 5
4 : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of youth or a young person
young at heart
5 capitalized : representing a new or rejuvenated especially political group or movement
young
noun plural young
Definition of young (Entry 2 of 8)
2 : a single recently born or hatched animal
with young
of a female animal
: pregnant
Young
biographical name (1)\ ˈyəŋ \
\Definition of Young (Entry 3 of 8)
Andrew Jackson, Jr. 1932– U.S. ambassador to U.N. (1977–79)
Young
biographical name (2)Definition of Young (Entry 4 of 8)
Brig*ham \ ˈbri-gəm \ 1801–1877 American Mormon leader
\ 1801–1877 American Mormon leaderYoung
biographical name (3)Definition of Young (Entry 5 of 8)
Cy originally Denton True Young 1867–1955 American baseball player
Young
biographical name (4)Definition of Young (Entry 6 of 8)
Michael W(arren) 1949– American geneticist
Young
biographical name (5)Definition of Young (Entry 7 of 8)
Owen D. 1874–1962 American lawyer
Young
biographical name (6)Definition of Young (Entry 8 of 8)
Whitney Moore 1921–1971 American civil rights leader
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Other Words from young
Adjective
youngish \ ˈyəŋ-ish \ adjective
\ adjectiveyoungness \ ˈyəŋ-nəs \ noun
\ noun
Examples of young in a Sentence
Adjective
He looks young for his age.
A very nice young man greeted us at the door. Young people today have a lot of opportunities.
He dreamed of being an artist when he was young.
The movie isn't suitable for young viewers.
He's still too young to buy alcohol legally.
Our youngest daughter just started school.
“When I was young,” the man said, “the world was a different place.”
The season is still young. Noun
music that appeals to the young The very young and the elderly are particularly sensitive to the disease.
a robin feeding her young
The young of a wolf are called pups.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Many were young and had never been away from home before.
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Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, "Elevator rider worries COVID is ‘going up’," 28 Dec. 2020 The city is relatively young, with many families and children.
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Elizabeth Findell, WSJ, "‘Startup City’: Accelerated Growth Strains Austin," 27 Dec. 2020 Many were young and had never been away from home before.
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Amy Dickinson, oregonlive, "Ask Amy: Elevator rider’s worries going up during pandemic," 27 Dec. 2020 When her 10 kids were young, Gail Hobert Tyler went all out for the holidays, from the two Christmas trees that filled her rambling West Hartford farmhouse with the scent of fresh pine to advent wreath holding down the dining room table.
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Daniela Altimari, courant.com, "“An empty chair:” Families who lost loved ones in the pandemic brace for a holiday shrouded in grief," 25 Dec. 2020 Denver’s offense is young but has pieces to be good.
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Los Angeles Times, "NFL Week 16 picks: Rams defeat Seahawks; Packers edge Titans," 25 Dec. 2020 But when the lockdown was announced, Small had no choice but to hunker down in her one-bedroom Melbourne apartment -- and bring four wombats, most less than a year old, that were too young to stay at the orphanage facility.
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Jessie Yeung, CNN, "Wombats, snails, ferrets: The animals that brought us joy during the pandemic," 23 Dec. 2020 What broke Sarah, finally, was the sight of one more intubated patient, a woman who was young, seemingly fit and frighteningly close to death.
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Jessica Contrera, Washington Post, "A Christmas gift: Stories of the quest for connection," 23 Dec. 2020 He's living proof of the idea that people are never too young to care — or to make a difference in the lives of others.
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Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "13-year-old raises nearly $6,000 to buy presents for kids in need," 22 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Jay families sometimes remain together long enough for the young of the year to assist in raising the next generation.
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Jim Williams, Star Tribune, "Blue jays cache food for the winter ‑ and remember where they put it," 24 Nov. 2020 As interesting as the period after the hummingbird young of the year leave the nest is, the fall migration period is even more exciting.
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Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, "Calvin Finch: Get ready for fall’s hummingbird migration," 24 Sep. 2020 Its six young South Americans will cost the team less than half what the last season.
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Kevin Baxterstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "LAFC’s investment in South American talent is paying off," 9 Jan. 2020 Maybe that’s a consequence of a parent dying young who’s been involved in public service and has only been involved in it in a way that’s pretty idealistic.
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Becky Bohrer, The Seattle Times, "Democrat Begich turns to AK voters 1 more time in guv race," 22 Oct. 2018 Sawyer, my best friend’s kid—to help me figure out what the youngs are into these days.
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Heather Hansman, Outside Online, "A 3-Year-Old Reviews Outdoorsy Kids' Books," 5 July 2018 Snapchat’s core business model and its claim on the fickle attention of addled, low-information consumers (read: the youngs) rests on enabling people to send impulsive, often vulgar missives that then disappear.
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Daniel Gross, Slate Magazine, "The Donald Trump of IPOs," 6 Feb. 2017 Unfortunately, the youngs were only able to complete one of those very important missions.
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Peggy Truong, Cosmopolitan, "Kylie Jenner Doesn't Want You to Touch Her," 1 Apr. 2016 In the wild, males will sometimes kill the young of another male and replace them with his own.
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Paul Nicklen, National Geographic, "6 Animals That Are Stellar Stepdads," 13 June 2017
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'young.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Learn More about young
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
8 Old Words for Young People
8 Old Words for Young People
Whippersnapper
Dictionary Entries near young
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for young
Last Updated
30 Dec 2020
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Young.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/young. Accessed 16 Jan. 2021.
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More Definitions for young
young
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of young
(Entry 1 of 2)
: in an early stage of life, growth, or development : not yet old
: recently formed, produced, started, etc.
young
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of young (Entry 2 of 2)
: young people
: young animals, birds, etc.
See the full definition for young in the English Language Learners Dictionary
young
adjective\ ˈyəŋ \
\younger\ ˈyəŋ-gər \; youngest\ ˈyəŋ-gəst \
Kids Definition of young
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : being in the first or an early stage of life, growth, or development
young children
2 : lacking in experience
That reporter is still young and naive.
3 : recently formed, produced, or come into being : new a young company
4 : youthful sense 1 Grandma says her grandchildren keep her young.
young
noun pluralKids Definition of young (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : young people
It's a story for young and old.
2 : immature or recently born offspring
a bear and her young
young
noun\ ˈyəŋ \
\ plural young
Medical Definition of young
1 : immature offspring
—used especially of animals
2 : a single recently born or hatched animal
with young
: pregnant —used of a female animal
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Comments on young
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Time Traveler for young
The first known use of young was before the 12th century
See more words from the same century