TKG English Learner's Dictionary

child

childnoun

American /tʃaɪld/ British /tʃaɪld/
plural children
very commondefining vocabulary

A child is a young person, or a person seen in relation to their parents, and the other senses grow from those two.

  1. young persona young person who is not yet an adult; a boy or girl

    countable [C] often before another noun [before noun]

    Collocations

    adjective + noun a young child, a small child, a little child, a spoiled child, a happy child
    verb + noun raise a child, bring up a child, look after a child, adopt a child, teach a child
    noun + noun child care, child development, children's books, children's clothes
    preposition + noun as a child
    phrase a child of five, children under twelve

    Synonyms kid (the informal word, very common in speech)

    Antonyms adult

    Compare baby; teenager

  2. son or daughtersomeone's son or daughter, of any age

    countable [C]

    Collocations

    adjective + noun an only child, the eldest child, the youngest child, a grown child, an adult child, a middle child
    verb + noun have children, want children
    noun + preposition the child of

    Antonyms parent

    Compare son; daughter

  3. silly adultan adult who acts in a silly, unreasonable way, like a young person

    countable [C] usually singular [usu sing] disapproving

    Collocations

    phrase such a child, act like a child

  4. product ofa person or thing whose character has been strongly shaped by a particular time, place, or influence

    countable [C] usually singular [usu sing]

    Collocations

    noun + preposition a child of
    phrase a child of its time, a child of the age

    Synonyms product (a product of its time)

Phrases

child's play

something very easy to do

with child literaryold-fashioned

going to have a baby

Word family

  • childhood
  • childish (silly, like a child; disapproving)
  • childlike (having the good qualities of a child; approving)
  • childless
  • grandchild
  • stepchild

Choosing between child · kid · baby · toddler · teenager

Child is the neutral word for a young person, and the one used in writing. Kid means the same but is informal and very common in speech: the kids are in bed. A baby is usually under a year old and cannot yet walk or speak in words, a toddler is just learning to walk, and a teenager is between thirteen and nineteen. Only child and kid also mean someone's son or daughter of any age.

Usage

The plural is children, and the possessive of the plural is children's: the children's room. Child is the neutral word; in speech, kid is more common. Child covers roughly the years from birth to the early teens; a person from thirteen to nineteen is a teenager, though the law may still count them as a child.

Common mistakes

There were many childs in the park. There were many children in the park.
The plural is children.
She has a children. She has a child.
Children is plural; the singular is child.
the childrens' toys the children's toys
Children is already plural, so the possessive adds apostrophe s.

For translators

Meaning across languages Many languages have different words for a young person (a child of six) and for someone's son or daughter (her children are all grown up). English uses child for both, so decide from the context which is meant.
Grammar trap The plural children is irregular and is already plural: three children, the children's toys, never childs, a children, or childrens. Child is countable and needs an article in the singular: a child, the child.
Cultural background The age at which a child legally becomes an adult varies by country and by purpose, such as voting, driving, or marriage. Kid is the everyday word in American speech and is not disrespectful.
Pronunciation trap The vowel is the long i of my, and the final d is pronounced: child rhymes with wild. The plural children has a short i in the first syllable, like chill, not the vowel of child.