INDEX:
1. a child
2. someone’s son or daughter
3. a child whose parents have died
4. the time when someone is a child
RELATED WORDS
a young person aged 11-18 : ↑ YOUNG
see also
↑ ADULT
↑ BABY
↑ FATHER
↑ MOTHER
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1. a child
▷ child /tʃaɪld/ [countable noun]
a young person from the time they are born until they are aged about 14 or 15 :
▪ How many children are there in your class?
▪ Children under 14 travel free.
▪ Every child was given a present.
as a child
▪ As a child, she preferred playing football with the boys to playing with dolls.
child prodigy
a child who is extremely good at doing something, for example playing music or speaking languages, from a very young age
▪ While growing up in North Carolina, Amos was considered a child prodigy on the piano.
child development
the way a child grows and learns new skills
▪ After her first baby was born, Barb read child development books constantly.
child care
when someone looks after children while their parents work
▪ The state will provide child care when both parents participate in the training program.
child abuse
cruel or violent treatment of children by adults
▪ Nationwide, only one in four cases of child abuse and neglect is reported.
▷ kid /kɪd/ [countable noun] informal
a child :
▪ Jamie’s a bright kid.
▪ I really enjoy working with kids.
▪ When we were kids, we used to spend practically the whole summer outdoors.
just a kid
▪ Don’t be so hard on him - he’s just a kid.
▷ boy /bɔɪ/ [countable noun]
a male child :
▪ I used to live in Spain when I was a boy.
▪ Harry teaches in a boys’ school in Glasgow.
▪ He put a hand on the boy’s shoulder and walked with him down the hall.
little boy
a very young boy
▪ Why don’t you go play with that little boy over there?
▷ girl /gɜːʳl/ [countable noun]
a female child :
▪ What’s that girl’s name?
▪ More girls play sports now than when I was younger.
▪ Beth is one of the most popular girls in her class.
little girl
a very young girl
▪ A little girl was sitting on the front doorstep.
▷ toddler /ˈtɒdləʳǁˈtɑːd-/ [countable noun]
a very young child who has just learned to walk :
▪ As a toddler, he was attacked and injured by the family’s pet dog.
▪ A toddler was squatting in the middle of the carpet, thumb in mouth.
2. someone’s son or daughter
▷ child /tʃaɪld/ [countable noun]
someone’s son or daughter, of any age :
▪ She named her first child Katrin.
▪ One of her children lives in Australia now.
▪ The house seems very quiet now that all the children have left home.
an only child
a child that has no brothers or sisters
▪ Alexandra was an only child and the centre of her mother’s world.
▷ kid /kɪd/ [countable noun] informal
someone’s son or daughter - use this about children aged up to 14 or 15 :
▪ All I ever wanted was to get married and have kids.
▪ Could you look after the kids this evening?
▷ son /sʌn/ [countable noun]
someone’s male child :
▪ We have two teenage sons.
▪ Her son used to work in Texas.
▪ The family business has now been taken over by Anderson’s eldest son.
▷ daughter /ˈdɔːtəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone’s female child :
▪ Our youngest daughter is getting married next month.
▪ My aunt has five daughters and three sons.
▪ In traditional societies, parents were often reluctant to send their daughters to school.
▷ little boy/little girl /ˌlɪtl ˈbɔɪ, ˌlɪtl ˈgɜːʳl/ [countable noun] spoken
someone’s young son or daughter :
▪ Paula had to go home - her little girl’s sick.
▪ ‘How old’s your little boy?’ ‘He’s three.’
▷ offspring /ˈɒfˌsprɪŋǁˈɔːf-/ [singular or plural noun]
a person’s or animal’s baby or babies - used humorously or in formal contexts about someone’s children :
somebody’s offspring
▪ Parents with the disease are likely to pass it on to their offspring.
▪ Hardly a day goes by without Mrs Molt or one of her offspring calling around to borrow something.
3. a child whose parents have died
▷ orphan /ˈɔːʳf ə n/ [countable noun]
▪ Pepino was a ten-year-old orphan. His parents had been killed in the war.
▪ Dr Barnardo founded homes for orphans in the late nineteenth century.
orphaned [adjective]
▪ Orphaned at the age of six, Laura grew up with her father’s relatives.
4. the time when someone is a child
▷ childhood /ˈtʃaɪldhʊd/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ Since childhood Margot had longed to be a dancer.
▪ Steven had happy memories of his childhood on the farm.
childhood illness/experiences/dream etc
that you have when you are a child
▪ Of course, I had all the usual childhood illnesses, like measles and mumps.
▪ It was his childhood dream to play professional baseball.
early childhood
▪ Much of my early childhood was spent with my aunt in California.
▷ in infancy/during infancy /ɪn ˈɪnfənsi, ˌdjʊ ə rɪŋ ˈɪnfənsiǁˌdʊ ə r-/ [uncountable noun] formal
while someone is a baby or a very young child - use this especially to talk about children dying or getting diseases :
▪ Three of her children died in infancy.