childhood

noun

child·​hood ˈchī(-ə)ld-ˌhu̇d 

1

: the state or period of being a child

2

: the early period in the development of something

Synonyms

• youth
• adolescence

Examples of childhood in a Sentence

diseases that can occur in childhood

Both men had unhappy childhoods.

Recent Examples on the Web

For Jones, that means confronting her childhood fear of clowns. —Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025

The reggaeton star, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, picked his stage name from a childhood photo. —Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 Sep. 2025

Alonzo's comedy is very personal, often focusing on socioeconomic class, her childhood experience and the current political climate. —Terry Gross, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025

Born JoAnne Deborah Byron in 1947 to an accountant father and schoolteacher mother, Shakur spent her childhood between Queens, New York, and her grandparents’ home in North Carolina, then still under Jim Crow laws. —Walden Green, Pitchfork, 29 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing childhood

• childhood friend
• second childhood

Rhymes for childhood

• allgood
• basswood
• beechwood
• bellwood
• birchwood
• boxwood
• boyhood
• brushwood
• cordwood
• dogwood
• driftwood
• falsehood

Kids Definition

childhood

noun

child·​hood ˈchīld-ˌhu̇d 

: the state or time of being a child

Medical Definition

childhood

noun

child·​hood ˈchīld-ˌhu̇d 

: the state or period of being a child