kindergarten

noun

kin·​der·​gar·​ten ˈkin-dər-ˌgär-tᵊn 

ˈkin-də-,

-dᵊn

plural kindergartens

: a school or class for children usually from five to six years old

Examples of kindergarten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fewer California kindergarten students were immunized against the measles last year, new data show. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2025

In Gaines County, nearly one in five kindergarten students opted out of at least one vaccine last year—five times the national rate. —Ripley Cleghorn, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2025

Her first teaching job was in a kindergarten classroom at Del Rey Woods Elementary School in Monterey In 2011. —Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025

The single mom had purchased a historic house that had belonged to her own kindergarten teacher. —Lauryn Overhultz, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

German, from Kinder children + Garten garden

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kindergarten

• carton
• garten
• marten
• parton
• quartan
• spartan
• tartan

Kids Definition

kindergarten

noun

kin·​der·​gar·​ten ˈkin-də(r)-ˌgärt-ᵊn 

-ˌgärd-

: a school or class for very young children

Etymology

from German kindergarten "a school for very young children," from kinder "children" and garten "garden"