SKIP TO CONTENT

child

/tʃaɪld/
/tʃaɪld/
IPA guide

Other forms: children; childs

A child is a young person who's typically older than a baby but younger than a teen. As a child, you probably had your parents watching over you as you played in a sandbox.

The noun child come from the Old English word cild, meaning "child, infant." Retaining a similar meaning into modern times, the word still refers to a young person, male or female. But you can be considered a child after reaching adulthood — in the eyes of your parents, at least. Immature behavior like throwing a temper tantrum can also mark you as a child. The word can also refer to someone in a clan or tribe, young or old.

Definitions of child
  1. noun
    a human offspring (son or daughter) of any age
    “they had three children
    synonyms: kid
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    parent
    a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
    types:
    army brat
    the child of a career officer of the United States Army
    babe, baby, infant
    a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
    female offspring
    a child who is female
    male offspring, man-child
    a child who is male
    stepchild
    a child of your spouse by a former marriage
    blue baby
    an infant born with a bluish color; usually has a defective heart
    cherub
    a sweet innocent baby
    daughter, girl
    a female human offspring
    abandoned infant, foundling
    a child who has been abandoned and whose parents are unknown
    godchild
    an infant who is sponsored by an adult (the godparent) at baptism
    neonate, newborn, newborn baby, newborn infant
    a baby from birth to four weeks
    nurseling, nursling, suckling
    an infant considered in relation to its nurse
    papoose, pappoose
    an American Indian infant
    boy, son
    a male human offspring
    stepdaughter
    a daughter of your spouse by a former marriage
    stepson
    the son your spouse by a former marriage
    test-tube baby
    a baby conceived by fertilization that occurs outside the mother's body; the woman's ova are removed and mixed with sperm in a culture medium - if fertilization occurs the blastocyte is implanted in the woman's uterus
    war baby
    conceived or born during war
    type of:
    issue, offspring, progeny
    the immediate descendants of a person
  2. noun
    a young person of either sex
    “she writes books for children
    see moresee less
    types:
    bairn
    a child: son or daughter
    buster
    a robust child
    changeling
    a child secretly exchanged for another in infancy
    child prodigy, infant prodigy, wonder child, wunderkind
    a prodigy whose talents are recognized at an early age
    foster child, foster-child, fosterling
    a child who is raised by foster parents
    imp, monkey, rapscallion, rascal, scalawag, scallywag, scamp
    one who is playfully mischievous
    kiddy
    a young child
    orphan
    a child who has lost both parents
    peanut
    a young child who is small for his age
    poster child
    a child afflicted by some disease or deformity whose picture is used on posters to raise money for charitable purposes
    kindergartener, kindergartner, preschooler
    a child who attends a preschool or kindergarten
    silly
    a word used for misbehaving children
    sprog
    a child
    bambino, toddler, tot, yearling
    a young child
    urchin
    a poor and often mischievous city child
    street child, waif
    a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned
    foster daughter, foster-daughter
    someone who is raised as a daughter although not related by birth
    foster son, foster-son
    someone who is raised as a son although not related by birth
    poster boy
    a male poster child
    poster girl
    a female poster child
    ragamuffin, tatterdemalion
    a dirty shabbily clothed urchin
    guttersnipe, street urchin
    a child who spends most of his time in the streets, especially in slum areas
    brat, holy terror, little terror, terror
    a very troublesome child
    type of:
    juvenile, juvenile person
    a young person, not fully developed
  3. noun
    an immature childish person
    “he remained a child in practical matters as long as he lived”
    synonyms: baby
  4. noun
    a member of a clan or tribe
    “the children of Israel”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    descendant, descendent
    a person considered as descended from some ancestor or race
Pronunciation
US
/tʃaɪld/
UK
/tʃaɪld/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘child'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family