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

In addition to her payments, the television personality is financing the cost of Matteo's health insurance, speech therapy and remainder of his preschool education through the 2024-2025 year. —Esther Kang, People.com, 16 May 2025

And someone had to sign our daughter up for a first-come-first-served preschool program that typically fills its seats within 90 to 120 seconds of their online release at 10 a.m. —Eliza Shapiro, New York Times, 12 May 2025

Noun

Adriana Franklin is already teaching preschool at the CLC Tech Campus. —Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2025

The document did, however, include cuts to other federal programs that support preschools directly and indirectly. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 6 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1914, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1925, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preschool

• ampoule
• bascule
• carpool
• cesspool
• ferrule
• footstool
• guayule
• lobule
• misrule
• pustule
• whirlpool
• boule

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