childhood

noun

child·​hood ˈchī(-ə)ld-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce childhood (audio)
Synonyms of childhoodnext
1
: the state or period of being a child
2
: the early period in the development of something

Synonyms of childhood

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of childhood in a Sentence

diseases that can occur in childhood Both men had unhappy childhoods.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
One bottle, picked by Naugle, Casamorati Italica had notes of apple, mandarin, creamy milk, saffron and vanilla which distinctly reminded me of this German Christmas loose-leaf tea from my childhood. — Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026 Nancy’s British father, Gerald Cadogan, is an academic and archaeologist, and much of her childhood was spent on excavation sites in Cyprus and Crete. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026 Today, nature has reclaimed this idyllic spot—where Ingunn spent childhood summer days picking berries and swimming—with waterfalls and carpets of reindeer moss. — Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Oct. 2026 Swift's childhood was tailor-made for a Hallmark movie—but the future pop star already had other plans. — Ilaria Perrotta, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for childhood

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of childhood was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing childhood

Rhymes for childhood

See All Rhymes for childhood

Browse Nearby Words

child-free
childhood
childhood friend
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Childhood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/childhood. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

childhood

noun
child·​hood ˈchīld-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce childhood (audio)
: the state or time of being a child

Medical Definition

childhood

noun
child·​hood ˈchīld-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce childhood (audio)
: the state or period of being a child
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All