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baby

baby

∞ 1.0
A very young child or animal that cannot walk and cannot talk yet
  • noun
  • /ˈbeɪbi/
: bebé
  • And the foster father had to come and put the baby seat in the car for us.
  • feed a baby
  • babies are born
  • mother and baby

But now that I had my baby, things went downhill.

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Examples

  • As I said Mr. Lewis, my dear sweet mother gave me away as a baby.

  • We are carrying a wee baby to her bed.

  • Oh, we got the the little baby next to us.

  • It's cause our baby girl is a big star now.

  • And then the other babies are back here.

  • Look at that sweet sleeping baby, Samantha Grace.

  • When you bring home the new baby, Andrew Cuomo.

  • After one such occasion, Sue returned home relieved to find that her baby still remembered her.

    Academic text (2012)
  • We've got our first fish of the trip, a baby largemouth bass.

  • Take in every moment with your new baby because they grow up so fast.

Synonyms

infant
vsbaby
320 1.0

A very young child usually under one year who is not yet walking or talking

is broader, covering very young animals as well as children
babe
vsbaby
50 1.0

A very young child who cannot yet walk or talk

is the more common standard form used in neutral contexts
angel baby
vsbaby
  • Informal
1 4.2

A very cute baby who looks innocent

is a neutral biological description, not about appearance or praise
bub
vsbaby
  • UK
1 9.8

A baby or very young child

is the neutral descriptive term rather than a casual form of address
kidlet
vsbaby
  • Informal
1 8.2

A small child or young goat that people talk about in a loving, informal way

is focused on very young humans or animals not yet walking or talking
babby
vsbaby
  • UK
1 9.9

A very young child such as a newborn

is the standard neutral term rather than dialectal spelling
bubber
vsbaby
  • UK
1 9.9

A very young child people speak to with love

is the neutral descriptive term rather than an affectionate address

Idioms

To get rid of something valuable while removing something bad

1 8.1

To give each side part of what they want so both feel happy

baby Jesus
  • Informal
1 9.5

A joking way to show mock sadness or disapproval

1 9.9

To leave quickly in a playful way

1 9.1

Being the only person who must deal with a problem after others avoid it

1 9.9

Cause great sadness or disappointment, often as a joke

to hold the baby
  • Informal
1 8.8

To have the only responsibility for a hard problem when others avoid it

9.9

A playful reason to buy something new

Compounds

84 1.0

A very young male child

75 3.5

A person born between 1946 and 1964 who grew up after World War II

67 1.2

A person parents pay to look after children when they are away

big baby
  • Offensive
41 5.0

A person who acts like a child by being very sensitive or complaining

baby mama
  • Slang
19 8.2

A mother of a man's child who is often not married or living with him

16 3.5

A face that makes someone look younger and more innocent than they are

15 1.2

A tooth that children have before their adult teeth grow

baby-killer
  • Offensive
14 9.9

An insulting name for a person who kills or is accused of killing babies

14 3.3

A sudden large increase in births

14 1.0

A very young bird without enough feathers to fly or leave the nest

12 5.8

A soft, simple way adults speak to infants to show affection

10 1.0

A soft, fine powder put on a baby's skin to keep it dry and comfortable

10 1.4

A small cart with four wheels that you push to carry a baby who is lying down or sitting

7 1.0

A gentle oil that keeps a baby's skin soft

People in the United States born between 1946 and 1964 when birth rates rose after World War II

A baby who is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy

4 1.0

A small soft shoe for a baby that lets the feet move

test-tube baby
  • Informal
4 4.2

A baby that doctors make from an egg and sperm outside the mother's body and put in her womb

4 4.8

A small grand piano that fits in small rooms

3 1.0

A small vehicle with four wheels that an adult pushes to carry a baby

2 6.7

An infant born with blue skin because there is not enough oxygen in the blood

baby doctor
  • Informal
2 3.4

A doctor who cares for babies and young children

2 6.0

A child born during a war, often because a parent was a soldier

2 8.1

A person who has many children in a short time, often said as a joke

A small piano with a curved lid like a large piano that fits in a home

1 1.0

A small bed with high sides that keeps a baby safe from falling out

angel baby
  • Informal
1 4.2

A very cute baby who looks innocent

baby fever
  • Informal
1 6.8

A strong sudden wish to have a baby

tar baby
  • Slur
1 9.9

A problem that becomes worse the more you try to fix it

1 2.9

A baby who cries a lot and is hard to calm

low-birth-weight baby
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A baby born weighing less than 5.5 pounds or 2,500 grams

baby dick
  • Offensive
1 9.9

An insulting word for someone with a very small penis or who acts like a child

bush baby
  • South African
1 8.4

A small animal from Africa that is active at night with big eyes and a long tail

food baby
  • Slang
1 7.4

A swollen stomach after eating a very large meal

preterm baby
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy

1 9.9

A person who grows up with parents active in communist or socialist politics

1 3.2

A frame on wheels that helps a baby learn to walk

1 3.9

Speech by a very young child using simple sounds and words

baby rabies
  • Slang
1 9.4

A strong, sudden wish to hold and care for babies

baby papa
  • Slang
1 8.4

A man who is the father of a woman's child, often when they are not together

baby buster
  • Archaic
1 7.3

A person born after the baby boom when birth rates fell

1 8.2

A baby who died and is remembered with love

1 5.9

A small creeping plant with many tiny round leaves used as a houseplant or ground cover

1 8.7

A small plant with soft blue flowers with dark spots that grows in California

A small spiny tree from South America with deep red flowers

9.9

A habit of preferring the first way you learn and resisting later changes

baby farmer
  • Archaic
9.9

A person in the past who took in babies for money and often neglected them

3.3

A person who looks after babies in their home while their parents work

baby rose
  • Specialized
4.0

A small rose bush that grows strongly and makes many small flowers used for hedges and grafting

nepotism baby
  • Offensive
9.2

A person who gets job opportunities because a family member helped them

9.9

An insulting word for a person who complains a lot and acts like a child

How Young

newborn
80 1.0
baby
∞ 1.0
toddler
156 1.0
preschooler
20 2.3

Surface Forms

baby singular
babies plural

Etymology

Baby A common idea is that baby comes from early 'baby talk' like baba or ba, simple sounds babies make; the word began as the sound of a very young child. So, baby now means a very young child or young animal because it names that early sound and stage of life.