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
  • Under the law, their children were deemed to be citizens at birth.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • Two adults and a child were injured by falling debris in Qatar as the country defended against Iranian attacks, its Ministry of Interior said Sunday.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 12 July 2026
Definition of child
Noun
  • The politician started the team as a positive force for school-age kids, to keep kids in school, off drugs and out of gangs through athletic acrobatic practice and performance.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
  • These two summer nutrition programs work in concert to provide a solution to the long-standing challenge of summer hunger for kids.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 July 2026
Definition of kid
Noun
  • Nothing etches itself in your heart quite like the memory of watching a pack of energetic African wild dogs frolicking, a lioness and her cubs dozing on the Kalahari with your own kids tucked in close.
    — Kathryn Romeyn, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 June 2026
  • The bear, which appeared to be a cub, eventually climbed out and ran away without incident.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 30 June 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 14 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of yaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All