childhood
noun
child·hood
| \ ˈchī(-ə)ld-ˌhu̇d
\
\
Definition of childhood
1
: the state or period of being a child
2
: the early period in the development of something
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Examples of childhood in a Sentence
diseases that can occur in childhood
Both men had unhappy childhoods.
Recent Examples on the Web
America now divides into two classes: those who have lived with social media–laden smartphones since childhood, and the rest of us. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "Jawline Explores the Teenage Dream of Social Media," 22 Aug. 2019 Born Kelsey McJunkins, music saturated Lu’s childhood in Charlotte, N.C. — Los Angeles Times, "How Kelsey Lu found her tribe among L.A.'s black art scene," 21 Aug. 2019 A few days earlier, Platt, who will turn 26 this month, wore heavy stubble and a black leather jacket to sing on Jimmy Kimmel, but today his smooth cheeks and dungaree overalls are a tether to childhood. — Vogue, "Ben Platt on His Next Act: A Star Turn in Ryan Murphy's The Politician," 20 Aug. 2019 Bill can’t remember his childhood in Derry, nor Georgie, the little brother who died when Pennywise dragged the child down a sewer drain. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Reflections of James McAvoy: Inside his trip through the It Chapter Two hall of mirrors," 19 Aug. 2019 Recinos spoke candidly about his turbulent childhood, the single mother who abandoned him and a beloved brother lost to drugs. — Bruce Tomaso, Dallas News, "Grit and grace: SMU's Hal Recinos left street life to become poet and professor," 19 Aug. 2019 Simmons’ attorney, Dena Young, wrote in a defense sentencing memo that Simmons had endured a troubled childhood with parents who struggled with alcoholism and other issues. — Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, "Member of North Bay marijuana home invasion robbery crew gets 15 years," 19 Aug. 2019 Some of the incidents are based on Grossman’s own childhood in Teaneck. — Sandra Dallas, The Denver Post, "Regional books: “This Boy’s War,” “The Dead Girl in 2A” and more," 18 Aug. 2019 Milton Barnes was frequently redeployed throughout Katreese’s childhood, and the family moved often. — Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, "Katreese Barnes, a Musical Force Behind the Scenes, Dies at 56," 16 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'childhood.' 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 childhood
childhood
noun
English Language Learners Definition of childhood
: the period of time when a person is a child
See the full definition for childhood in the English Language Learners Dictionary
childhood
noun
child·hood
| \ ˈchīld-ˌhu̇d
\
\
Kids Definition of childhood
: the period of life between infancy and youth
childhood
noun
child·hood
| \ ˈchīld-ˌhu̇d
\
\
Medical Definition of childhood
: the state or period of being a child
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