preschool

1 of 2

adjective

pre·​school ˈprē-ˌskül 

(ˌ)prē-ˈskül

: of, relating to, or constituting the period in a child's life that ordinarily precedes attendance at elementary school

preschool

2 of 2

noun

pre·​school ˈprē-ˌskül 

: a school for children usually younger than those attending elementary school or kindergarten : nursery school

Synonyms

Noun

• crèche
• day nursery
• nursery
• nursery school
• pre-K
• prekindergarten

Examples of preschool in a Sentence

Noun

children excited about starting preschool

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Beyond his business achievements, Rosen is remembered for his philanthropic endeavors, such as funding free preschool education and offering college and vocational scholarships to children in the Tangelo Park and Parramore neighborhoods. —Skyler Swisher, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2025

The Australian preschool program racked up 55.62 billion viewing minutes on Disney+, while the long-running hospital drama nabbed 47.85 billion across Hulu and Netflix. —Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025

Noun

Our grandmother taught at the preschool there for 17 years. —The Editors Of Ad, Architectural Digest, 7 Feb. 2025

The shocking video, which was shared by ABC 7, shows an employee at the Homewood preschool dragging Grayson, the eldest of Forte’s two sons, toward a trash can by a wall and placing him inside of it. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 19 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1914, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1925, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

preschool

1 of 2 adjective

pre·​school ˈprē-ˌskül 

: of, relating to, or being the period in a child's life to the age of five or six that ordinarily precedes attendance at school

preschool

2 of 2 noun

: a school for children usually younger than those attending elementary school or kindergarten : nursery school