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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 Declining vaccination rates have left growing numbers of children and adults susceptible to the virus, with multiple states experiencing sustained outbreaks of the disease. — Dhruti Shah, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026 With so many French basketball stars being the children of immigrants, and benefitting from government investment in youth programs, the country’s basketball triumphs spotlight success stories for national values that now appear in jeopardy. — Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026 The child’s mother, who was not charged in the case, reported the crime after finding Sophia unconscious with head wounds. — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026 Nearby, officials said, was more clothing — child-sized and adult. — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 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
  • Set the scene Set right on Seven Mile Beach, the sprawling Ritz-Carlton property is a playground for global jetsetters, families with older kids, and even celebrated chefs during the hotel’s annual Cayman Cookout.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2026
  • In it, a young kid traverses New Orleans to fish, goes door to door selling his game, and learns how to drive, among other things.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of kid
Noun
  • Ten babies had been born from pronuclear transfers, nine of them to mothers who were 35 or younger.
    — Megan Molteni, STAT, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Give me a great stroller, car seat, baby carrier, bottles, diapers, and somewhere safe for the baby to sleep.
    — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of baby
Noun
  • Clark's defense came as Democrats faced accusations that the outcome might have been different had some of them not been held up while returning to the Capitol from an off-campus fundraiser.
    — Mariana Alfaro, Arkansas Online, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Like other companies striving to move past experimentation toward practical solutions, the company is invested in how AI can be used to drive real business outcomes.
    — S. Sorrina Beecher, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of outcome
Noun
  • At the hospital, the princess met with doctors and health workers who use the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB), a training that helps identify early signs of social withdrawal in infants in order to support them.
    — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Trapped in a dog crate and entombed beneath a foot of dirt, a South Carolina infant miraculously survived 24 hours buried underground, authorities say.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of infant
Noun
  • Initial results indicate that the method can separate metal chlorides from magnet material more efficiently, allowing nearly all the metals to be extracted while using comparatively small amounts of chemicals.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Grocery stores in several European countries are dealing with incidents affecting refrigerator and freezer systems that appear to be the results of cyberattacks.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of result
Noun
  • The beaming toddler could be seen crouching over a large pumpkin outside while wearing a navy blue rain jacket, blue jeans that were cuffed at the bottom, and a pair of orange boots.
    — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The 66-year-old actor was born in California and moved to the Lone Star State as a toddler with his mother.
    — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of toddler
Noun
  • If this second, less turbulent route occurs to bring hot Jupiters close to their stars, then the resultant system should be very flat.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Yet in 2017, the resultant phase of their coexistence, called supersolid, was experimentally observed in ultracold atomic Bose-Einstein condensates.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of resultant
Noun
  • One book tells the story of two boys who are thrown into a river and transform into salmon, sharing traditional knowledge and cultural teachings through the Nisenan language.
    — Conor McGill, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
  • On July 22, 1979, a boy between 12 and 16 years old was found on the Imperial Beach shoreline.
    — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 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 13 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on child

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about child

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