bairn

noun

ˈbern How to pronounce bairn (audio)
Definition of bairnnext
chiefly Scottish
as in child
a young person who is between infancy and adulthood at the Scottish festival there were traditional contests of strength and endurance, Celtic fiddlers, and groups of bairns performing Highland flings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bairn The Wallace also has a children’s menu and wee bathrobes for the bairns in the marble guest bathrooms. — Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2024 Later, Marsali once again fails to read the room and talks to Ian about all of her bairns and the joys of a big family. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bairn
  1. child
  2. kid
  3. cub
Noun
  • Unusually, adult children can (in rare cases) be liable to pay for parents’ care if the parents run out of money.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Morio, already a tender and delicate soul, becomes increasingly protective of the woman carrying his child.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of child
Noun
  • But that also ties some kids’ savings to a single company’s fortunes.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The kind of life admin tasks like swim lesson sign-ups and appointment confirmations that pile up with alarming frequency in a house of one preschool-age kid and two adults with full-time jobs.
    — Allison Johnson, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of kid
Noun
  • The living cub tried valiantly to bring his brother back to life.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The dangerous part was trying to separate the cub from its fiercely protective mother, state officials said.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of cub

Browse Nearby Words

bails out
bairn
bairns
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bairn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bairn. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of syncretic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All