child
gb/t͡ʃˈaɪld/ us/t͡ʃˈaɪld/
A1
English
~ 200
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
A young person under puberty
A young boy or girl who is not yet an adult.
Usage pattern:
[a/an/the] child
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'child' with 'children'. 'Child' is singular, 'children' is plural.
Synonyms
kid (Informal, more casual than 'child'.)
Antonyms
adult (Refers to a fully grown person; opposite in age stage.)
Collocations
small child
|young child
|care for a child
|child development
|child protection
Themes
family
|daily life
|age
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The child played happily in the park.
- Every child deserves a good education.
- She read a bedtime story to her child.
- The doctor specializes in treating sick children.
Learner examples
- The child is in the garden.
- That child is my sister's son.
- A child needs food and love.
- The child is five years old.
Noun
A2
entity
2
A son or daughter
Someone's son or daughter, no matter how old they are.
Usage pattern:
[someone's] child
Common mistake:
Some learners think 'child' always means young person; it can also mean an adult son or daughter.
Synonyms
offspring (More formal and less common in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
parent (Refers to the one who raises or gives birth, opposite role in family.)
Collocations
only child
|biological child
|adopted child
|raise a child
Themes
family
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She has three children, all grown up now.
- They adopted a child from overseas.
- He is the only child in his family.
- Their eldest child just started university.
Learner examples
- I am the only child in my family.
- Her child is in high school.
- They have a new child.
- My parents have two children.
Noun
B2
entity
3
Person shaped by a context or era
A person whose ideas or behavior are shaped by their time, place, or situation.
Usage pattern:
a child of [time/place]
Common mistake:
Learners may think this is literal; it is metaphorical and does not mean young person.
Synonyms
product (Metaphorical use meaning result of conditions, not literal offspring.)
Collocations
child of the 80s
|child of nature
Themes
culture
|history
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He is truly a child of the digital age.
- As a child of the city, she loves busy streets.
- They called her a child of fortune.
Learner examples
- She is a child of the 1990s.
- He is a child of the countryside.
- I am a child of this town.
Grammar
Dictionary form
child
IPA
GB/t͡ʃˈaɪld/
US/t͡ʃˈaɪld/
Syllables & stress
child (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (child)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: child
- Plural: children
Word family
Expressions
child's play
1/t͡ʃˈaɪldz plˈeɪ/
idiom
Something very easy to do
Something that is very easy to do.
Examples
- Fixing the bike was child's play for him.
- For her, solving the puzzle was child's play.
like a child in a candy store
1/lˈaɪk ə t͡ʃˈaɪld ˈɪn ə kˈændi stˈɔɹ/
idiom
informal
Overly excited by many options
Very excited when there are many things to choose from.
Examples
- He was like a child in a candy store at the tech fair.
- When she saw all the dresses, she felt like a child in a candy store.
only child
1/ˈoʊnli t͡ʃˈaɪld/
fixed phrase
A person without siblings
Someone who has no brothers or sisters.
Examples
- She grew up as an only child and often played alone.
- Being an only child can be lonely for some people.
with child
1/wˈɪθ t͡ʃˈaɪld/
fixed phrase
formal
Pregnant with a baby
To be pregnant and expecting a baby.
Examples
- She announced that she was with child.
- In the story, the queen was with child when the war began.