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Definition of "childhood" []

  • The time or state of being a child. (noun)
  • The early stage in the existence or development of something: the childhood of Western civilization. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "childhood" in a sentence
  • "Inasmuch as the symptoms of this latter come to differ from those of childhood proper, not abruptly, but gradually, the first years, at least, of youth will often come under our consideration, and I shall speak of this period of life as the _third period of childhood_."
  • "If we consider how essential to such a masterpiece is inoculation of belief in the tender age of childhood, the system of missions appears no longer merely as the height of human importunity, arrogance, and impertinence, but also of absurdity; in so far as it does not confine itself to people who are still in the stage of _childhood_, such as the Hottentots, Kaffirs,"
  • "At the time, the term childhood obesity was not making headlines, but the running community, usually ahead of the curve when it comes to health issues, felt that kids were in need of an extra push to get out and work their bodies."