From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishchildchild /tʃaɪld/ ●●● S1 W1 noun (plural children /ˈtʃɪldrən/) [countable] 1 
young personCHILD someone who is not yet an adult SYN kid The hotel is ideal for families with young children. The film is not suitable for children under 12. I was very happy as a child (=when I was a child).a child of five/eight etc For a child of five this was a terrifying experience. a famous writer of children’s books child victims of war2 son/daughterBABY/HAVE A BABY a son or daughter of any age I have five children, all happily married. She lives with her husband, Paul, and three grown-up children. Annie had always wanted to get married and have children. Alex is an only child (=he has no brothers or sisters). Our youngest child, Sam, has just started university.eldest child especially British English, oldest child especially American English the decision to bring a child into the world (=have a baby) 3 somebody influenced by an ideaEFFECT/INFLUENCE someone who is very strongly influenced by the ideas and attitudes of a particular period of historychild of a real child of the sixties4 somebody who is like a childEXPERIENCED someone who behaves like a child and is not sensible or responsible – used to show disapproval She’s such a child!5 → something is child’s play6 → children should be seen and not heard7 → be with child8 → be heavy/great with childCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + childa four-year-old/ten-year-old etc childA four-year-old child should not be left on their own.a young childYoung children are naturally curious about the world.a small child (=a young one)My family lived in France when I was a small child.a newborn childHe was holding the newborn child in his arms.an unborn child (=a baby that is still inside its mother)Smoking can damage your unborn child.a spoilt/spoiled child (=allowed to do or have whatever he or she wants, and behaving badly)He’s behaving like a spoilt child.a gifted child (=extremely intelligent)a special school for gifted childrena bright child (=intelligent)He was a bright child – always asking questions.a good/bad childBe a good child and sit down!a naughty child (=doing things that are not allowed)He's behaving like a naughty child.an easy/difficult child (=easy or difficult to deal with)Marcus was a very happy, easy child.a problem child (=very difficult to deal with)Problem children may need to be removed from the classroom.an adopted child (=legally made part of a family that he or she was not born into)I didn’t find out that I was an adopted child until years later.street children (=living on the streets because they have no homes)The organization aims to help street children in Latin America.verbsbring up a child especially British English, raise a child especially American EnglishThe cost of bringing up a child has risen rapidly.a child is bornMost children at born in hospital.a child grows upOne in four children is growing up in poverty.child + NOUNchild abuse (=treating children in a very bad way, especially sexually)He was arrested on suspicion of child abuse.child developmentShe’s an expert in child development.child labour British English, child labor American English (=the use of children as workers)The garments were made using child labour. THESAURUSchild someone who is not yet an adult. You don’t usually use child to talk about babies or teenagersMany children are scared of the dark.He’s just a child.kid informal a child. Kid is the usual word to use in everyday spoken EnglishWe left the kids in the car.little boy/little girl a young male or female childI lived there when I was a little girl.Little boys love dinosaurs.teenager someone between the ages of 13 and 19There’s not much for teenagers to do around here.adolescent a young person who is developing into an adult – used especially when talking about the problems these people haveHe changed from a cheerful child to a confused adolescent.youth especially disapproving a teenage boy – especially one who is violent and commits crimesHe was attacked by a gang of youths.a youth courtyoungster a child or young person – used especially by old peopleYou youngsters have got your whole life ahead of you.He’s a bright youngster with a good sense of humour.minor law someone who is not yet legally an adultIt is illegal to sell alcohol to a minor.
young personCHILD someone who is not yet an adult SYN kid The hotel is ideal for families with young children. The film is not suitable for children under 12. I was very happy as a child (=when I was a child).a child of five/eight etc For a child of five this was a terrifying experience. a famous writer of children’s books child victims of war2 son/daughterBABY/HAVE A BABY a son or daughter of any age I have five children, all happily married. She lives with her husband, Paul, and three grown-up children. Annie had always wanted to get married and have children. Alex is an only child (=he has no brothers or sisters). Our youngest child, Sam, has just started university.eldest child especially British English, oldest child especially American English the decision to bring a child into the world (=have a baby) 3 somebody influenced by an ideaEFFECT/INFLUENCE someone who is very strongly influenced by the ideas and attitudes of a particular period of historychild of a real child of the sixties4 somebody who is like a childEXPERIENCED someone who behaves like a child and is not sensible or responsible – used to show disapproval She’s such a child!5 → something is child’s play6 → children should be seen and not heard7 → be with child8 → be heavy/great with childCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + childa four-year-old/ten-year-old etc childA four-year-old child should not be left on their own.a young childYoung children are naturally curious about the world.a small child (=a young one)My family lived in France when I was a small child.a newborn childHe was holding the newborn child in his arms.an unborn child (=a baby that is still inside its mother)Smoking can damage your unborn child.a spoilt/spoiled child (=allowed to do or have whatever he or she wants, and behaving badly)He’s behaving like a spoilt child.a gifted child (=extremely intelligent)a special school for gifted childrena bright child (=intelligent)He was a bright child – always asking questions.a good/bad childBe a good child and sit down!a naughty child (=doing things that are not allowed)He's behaving like a naughty child.an easy/difficult child (=easy or difficult to deal with)Marcus was a very happy, easy child.a problem child (=very difficult to deal with)Problem children may need to be removed from the classroom.an adopted child (=legally made part of a family that he or she was not born into)I didn’t find out that I was an adopted child until years later.street children (=living on the streets because they have no homes)The organization aims to help street children in Latin America.verbsbring up a child especially British English, raise a child especially American EnglishThe cost of bringing up a child has risen rapidly.a child is bornMost children at born in hospital.a child grows upOne in four children is growing up in poverty.child + NOUNchild abuse (=treating children in a very bad way, especially sexually)He was arrested on suspicion of child abuse.child developmentShe’s an expert in child development.child labour British English, child labor American English (=the use of children as workers)The garments were made using child labour. THESAURUSchild someone who is not yet an adult. You don’t usually use child to talk about babies or teenagersMany children are scared of the dark.He’s just a child.kid informal a child. Kid is the usual word to use in everyday spoken EnglishWe left the kids in the car.little boy/little girl a young male or female childI lived there when I was a little girl.Little boys love dinosaurs.teenager someone between the ages of 13 and 19There’s not much for teenagers to do around here.adolescent a young person who is developing into an adult – used especially when talking about the problems these people haveHe changed from a cheerful child to a confused adolescent.youth especially disapproving a teenage boy – especially one who is violent and commits crimesHe was attacked by a gang of youths.a youth courtyoungster a child or young person – used especially by old peopleYou youngsters have got your whole life ahead of you.He’s a bright youngster with a good sense of humour.minor law someone who is not yet legally an adultIt is illegal to sell alcohol to a minor. Examples from the Corpus
child• Admission is $5, children under 12 are free.• Children under 14 travel free.• As a child, she preferred playing football with the boys to playing with dolls.• While growing up in North Carolina, Amos was considered a child prodigy on the piano.• When she was a child, she had invited her to stay.• For example a husband can make payments on behalf of his wife and children or viceversa.• That contrasts with three out of five Anglo children who use a computer at school.• Every child was given a present.• She named her first child Katrin.• Michael and Ronda had their first child last year.• an attractive, happy child• One of her children lives in Australia now.• But you know how children accept almost anything that grown ups tell them.• Work-inhibited children who enjoy good relationships with their parents are likely to find their own way.• How many children are there in your class?• How many children does Jane have?• Nationwide, only one in four cases of child abuse and neglect is reported.• Alexandra was an only child and the centre of her mother's world.• Logistics do: getting dinner, keeping house, overseeing child care, buying equipment.• The state will provide child care when both parents participate in the training program.• After her first baby was born, Barb read child development books constantly.• Roberta's second child weighed over four kilos at birth.• The house seems very quiet now that all the children have left home.• Medical staff, seeing that the child was in danger, decided to perform an operation.• And for the last 3 days, they've been living on the food they'd planned to give to the children.• I don't want children - I'm married to a child and that's enough.as a child• Potentially explosive subtext -- Annie was sexually abused as a child -- is pretty much left in the background.• To stamp her feet as a child again.• He learned German as a child.• The third sister, Ankhsenpaaten, had been given as a child bride to Tutankhaten.• It was a habit he had had as a child.• You may have been abused or molested as a child.• Ideas of space and shape, as children fit or match or choose shapes and so on, will be involved.• Carter stuttered as a child and burns now with an eloquence that takes him over from time to time.grown-up children• She was 46 with 3 grown-up children.• Anyway, the daughter now has grown-up children and is living in Launceston.• She lives in Thames Ditton with her husband, Paul and three grown-up children.• Mr Morgan, who was married with three grown-up children, had returned briefly to school after a period of illness.• A native of Wexford, Joe is married with two grown-up children.• Thirty years on, with two grown-up children, they're still together.child of• I am a child of the forties, of radio and World War II.such a child• Instead of suffering on behalf of that poor betrayed girl, she should be fighting for all such children.• Mr Round believes such children should be expelled, and kept out of main-stream education for good.• The structure that comes with limit setting helps such a child stay organized and focused.• By the year 2000, experts in the field think the number of such children will reach 15 million.• It does not take long for a teacher of such a child to stop trying to be helpful.• You know what name is tacked on to such a child.• No one ever turned up such a child, whose existence seems to have been yet another figment of fertile right-wing imaginations.• Families with such children are sometimes in a moral trap.Origin child Old English cild 