puberty
noun
pu·​ber·​ty
| \ ˈpyü-bər-tē
\
\
Definition of puberty
1
: the condition of being or the period of becoming first capable of reproducing sexually that is brought on by the production of sex hormones and the maturing of the reproductive organs (such as the testes and ovaries), development of secondary sex characteristics (such as male facial hair growth and female breast development), and in humans and the higher primates by the first occurrence of menstruation in the female
2
: the age at which puberty occurs often construed legally as 14 in boys and 12 in girls
Examples of puberty in a Sentence
He reached puberty later than most of his classmates.
Recent Examples on the Web
For instance, Deitch said, sometimes the child goes through puberty and looks more like an adult than a juvenile who made a mistake at a young age. — Cassandra Jaramillo, Dallas News, "Why a Dallas judge made the rare decision to have a 16-year-old tried as an adult in rape, murder case," 28 July 2019 Cincinnati Enquirer Girls who reach puberty early stand a greater chance of getting migraine headaches, new research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine has found. — Anne Saker, Cincinnati.com, "Puberty and migraines have an early connection for girls, UC study finds," 16 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'puberty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for puberty
puberty
noun
English Language Learners Definition of puberty
: the period of life when a person's sexual organs mature and he or she becomes able to have children
See the full definition for puberty in the English Language Learners Dictionary
puberty
noun
pu·​ber·​ty
| \ ˈpyü-bər-tē
\
\
Kids Definition of puberty
: the age at or period during which the body of a boy or girl matures and becomes capable of reproducing
puberty
noun
pu·​ber·​ty
| \ ˈpyü-bərt-ē
\
\
plural puberties
Medical Definition of puberty
1
: the condition of being or the period of becoming first capable of reproducing sexually marked by maturing of the genital organs, development of secondary sex characteristics, and in humans and the higher primates by the first occurrence of menstruation in the female
2
: the age at which puberty occurs being typically between 13 and 16 years in boys and 11 and 14 in girls and often construed legally as 14 in boys and 12 in girls
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