: a boy or girl not yet 13 years old
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
Harvey Young, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
Officer history The officer who patted down the preteen in February 2024 is Ofc.
—Carol Thompson, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
But whoever decided this must have an impressively hungry family: football players, Olympic swimmers, or preteen boys.
—Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preteen
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Noun
From Cosby’s court trials, to cannabis legalization, to the invasion of Ukraine as part of a Russian reunification strategy, to the many death-by-law-enforcement scenarios in American cities, our current moment looks and feels different than what a preteen might have imagined in the ’80s.
—Harvey Young, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
Officer history The officer who patted down the preteen in February 2024 is Ofc.
—Carol Thompson, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
He was accused of inappropriately touching or taking an unusual interest in at least seven preteen students within a three-year period working within District 203, though Naperville police at the time said no complaints had been filed locally.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
But whoever decided this must have an impressively hungry family: football players, Olympic swimmers, or preteen boys.
—Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preteen
Cite this Entry
“Preteen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preteen. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
preteen
1 of 2 noun
pre·teen
ˈprē-ˈtēn 
: a boy or girl not yet 13 years old
preteen
2 of 2 adjective1
: 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
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