preteen

1 of 2

noun

pre·​teen ˈprē-ˈtēn 

-ˌtēn

: a boy or girl not yet 13 years old

preteen

2 of 2

adjective

1

: relating to or produced for children especially in the 9 to 12 year-old age group

preteen fashions

2

: being younger than 13

Examples of preteen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And that meant making her mom, Kim Kardashian, take a bit of a backseat, especially with North's glam team, who was on hand to get the preteen ready to perform in The Lion King. —Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 20 Feb. 2025

Tong also sued Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, in October 2023, accusing the company of violating state and federal laws with unfair trade practices aimed at hooking customers, especially preteens, on social media. —James Watson, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2025

Adjective

But then there are puzzlements: more unexplained goats, a freezing-cold field trip and a preteen office worker. —Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2025

Dear Abby: After several months of weight loss, our preteen daughter was hospitalized after a trip to the ER. —Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 28 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1938, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for preteen

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between

Kids Definition

preteen

1 of 2 noun

pre·​teen ˈprē-ˈtēn 

: a boy or girl not yet 13 years old

preteen

2 of 2 adjective

1

: relating to or produced for children especially in the 9 to 12 year-old age group

preteen fashions

2

: being younger than 13 years old