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

Ideas By Rebekah Taussig February 24, 2025 7:00 AM EST Taussig is the author of Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body My son Otto started preschool this fall. —Rebekah Taussig, TIME, 24 Feb. 2025

Selwyn left his family when Biggie was only 2 years old, leaving Voletta, a preschool teacher, to raise him on her own, per Yahoo!. —Marina Watts, People.com, 21 Feb. 2025

Noun

These begin in preschool and include reading books or telling stories about jobs and careers and visits from those working at different jobs. —Bruno V. Manno, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025

The intrigue: The district also plans on providing free busing to its preschools to eliminate transportation barriers. —Linh Ta, Axios, 12 Feb. 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