English Reference
noun

children

n.
US /ˈtʃɪɫdɹən/ UK /tʃˈɪldɹən/ chil·dren UK spelling children's

  1. 01 A1 Beginner

    more than one young person who is not yet an adult.

    the plural form of child, denoting multiple young human beings before the age of puberty.

    Simple

    The children were playing happily in the park after school.

    In context

    The local library offers a variety of reading programmes designed to engage children of all ages during the summer holidays.

    Pitfall
    The childrens are playing in the garden. The children are playing in the garden.

    Children is already plural. Do not add an 's' to the end of the word.

  2. 02 A2 Elementary

    your sons or daughters, even if they are now adults.

    offspring of any age in relation to their parents.

    Simple

    They have three grown children who all live in different cities.

    In context

    Even though her children are now successful professionals with families of their own, she still worries about them constantly.

    Usage

    Often used with a possessive pronoun like 'their' or 'my'.

Usage children of all ages · children under the age · children learn


From Middle English children, alteration of earlier childre ("children"; > English dialectal childer), from Old English ċildru, ċildra (“children”), nominative and accusative plural of ċild (“child”), equivalent to child + -ren.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Old English ċildru
Level A1 · Beginner
Frequency Very common
Updated