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child

noun

ˈchī(-ə)ld How to pronounce child (audio)
Definition of childnext
1
as in kid
a young person who is between infancy and adulthood an imaginative animated film that appeals to adults as well as to children

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in baby
a recently born person wrapped the child in a blanket before taking him outside in the cold

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3
as in outcome
a condition or occurrence traceable to a cause widespread stress is the child of the frenetic pace of the modern world

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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 child Lindsay Clancy was accused of strangling the three children with workout bands and then attempted suicide, including by jumping out a window, leaving her paralyzed. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026 The jury could not reach a verdict in the murder trial of the Massachusetts mother who admitted to killing her three children. — Violet Jira, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2026 Home built in phases A larger house came after the cabin, where Roebbelen and his wife, Kimberly, raised their three children. — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026 For the children’s floor, the designer chose bright rugs, fabrics, and wall paints. — Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for child
Recent Examples of Synonyms for child
  1. kid
  2. baby
  3. outcome
  4. infant
  5. result
  6. toddler
  7. resultant
  8. boy
Noun
  • When the couple is suspected of child abuse, their five kids are taken away by protective services.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2026
  • With unwavering resolve, Salvador rallies an eclectic band of misfit street kids, led by the spirited Belén, to defy fate and protect Carmen.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of kid
Noun
  • One was Lady Dracula Cher, with little baby fangs and her box resembling a coffin.
    — MARK KENNEDY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Chopping vegetables with tiny baby feet dangling in front of the cutting board was a new challenge, but one easily solved by a little shifting and angling.
    — Caroline Chambers, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of baby
Noun
  • Taking a page from professional players associations, Abruzzo sees sectoral bargaining—where unions and multiple employers set baseline, industry-wide compensation and workplace standards—as the preferable long-term outcome for college athletes.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • There are four possible outcomes, all with various chances of coming to fruition.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of outcome
Noun
  • Infected mothers can also pass HIV to their infants during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and breastfeeding.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Surgeons at a children's hospital in Missouri earlier this year successfully separated infant twin sisters, who had been born conjoined at the head, hospital officials announced Wednesday.
    — Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of infant
Noun
  • When a close compresses from weeks to days or a forecast updates in hours, finance can operate on current information instead of stale results.
    — Hemant Kapadia, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • After the results of a close Marshall City Council race in central Missouri had been certified, Hoskins' office received a complaint about the tallying of write-in votes, recounted them itself and instructed city officials to change the results.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of result
Noun
  • The free meals program aims to combat malnutrition and reduce childhood stunting by providing meals to nearly 90 million students, toddlers and pregnant women.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Their opponents were Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Australian Maya Joint, who, at 20 years old, was just a toddler when the Williams sisters won the 2009 US Open.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of toddler
Noun
  • Surprisingly, despite his role in the Fast & Furious franchise and the resultant persona fans project on him, Gibson is, admittedly, not interested in pursuing motorsport and had never been drifting.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Ilie and Ghodla modeled the environment in which the resultant black hole seeds would exist and merge, calculating merger rates and the influence on the gravitational wave background.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of resultant
Noun
  • This initially takes unassuming form, as Maya grows friendly with Kiran (Krish Raj More), a boy of a similar age.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Deputies arrived at the scene and found a man and a boy with gunshot injuries.
    — Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of boy

Phrases Containing child

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chignons
child
child's play
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Cite this Entry

“Child.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/child. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on child

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about child

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