often attributive
1
a
: the time of life when one is young
especially
: the period between childhood and maturity
b
: the early period of existence, growth, or development
2
a
: a young person
especially
: a young male between adolescence and maturity
b
: young persons or creatures
—usually plural in construction
3
: the quality or state of being youthful : youthfulness
Examples of youth in a Sentence
She had a troubled youth.
He spent his youth in the Midwest.
He got into a lot of trouble in his youth.
a generation trying to recapture lost youth
when the industry was still in its youth
Four youths are suspected of starting the fire.
Recent Examples on the Web
The report questioned standards for the treatment of transgender youth issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and raised concerns that adolescents may be too young to give consent to life-changing treatments that could result in future infertility.
—
Ali Swenson The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 25 Dec. 2025
Mourinho, in short, was another Forest enthusiast, going back to his youth in Portugal.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2025
Prosecutors have filed charges against three youths linked to a homicide in San Rafael.
—Cameron MacDonald, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
That’s one of the big goals of the San Diego Public Library’s winter reading challenge, explains Emily Derry, the library’s supervising librarian for youth and family services.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for youth
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ali Swenson The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 25 Dec. 2025
Mourinho, in short, was another Forest enthusiast, going back to his youth in Portugal.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2025
Prosecutors have filed charges against three youths linked to a homicide in San Rafael.
—Cameron MacDonald, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
That’s one of the big goals of the San Diego Public Library’s winter reading challenge, explains Emily Derry, the library’s supervising librarian for youth and family services.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for youth
Cite this Entry
“Youth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/youth. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share