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

The second photo was a throwback of when Ricki was a preteen. —Hannah Sacks, People.com, 8 Oct. 2024

But the preteen isn’t necessarily going to follow in their footsteps. —Katie Mannion, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024

Adjective

To better understand what’s happening with preteen and teen internet use, there will need to be more studies that follow a group of diverse families over time. —Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, The Conversation, 10 July 2024

Imogene, the preteen leader of the clan, stages a coup by getting cast as Jesus’ mother. —Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1938, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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