child
noun
Laura Simonetti
Did you know?
Is the word kid slang?
Some people worry that kid, when used of a child rather than a juvenile goat, is either slang or too colloquial to merit acceptance in standard English.
The fact is that we have been using kid to refer to a child that is human, rather than goatish, for more than three hundred years now. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that although this word was considered “low slang” when it first began being used, it had entered “familiar speech” by the 19th century.
In contemporary English, kid is neither slang nor improper. It is, however, most definitely informal, so those writing professionally or in a formal register might prefer to use child.
Synonyms
Examples of child in a Sentence
Barbara D. Hathaway, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
In a matter of seconds, the fourplex unit Wilson Jr., 31, shares with his partner and their two children, was a total mess.
—Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 22 Nov. 2024
Andrew Kammerer, 33, made his first appearance Friday in Clermont County Common Pleas Court and pleaded not guilty to counts of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and endangering children.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 22 Nov. 2024
The lifelong Arizonan already knew the grief of losing a child.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for child 
Dictionary Entries Near child
Cite this Entry
“Child.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/child. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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child
noun
Medical Definition
child
noun
Biographical Definition
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