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toddler

toddler

171 1.0
A young child who has just started to walk, usually one to three years old
  • noun
  • /ˈtɑːdlər/
translation icon : niño pequeño
  • As we sit down on the front steps, Rose lifts a toddler onto her lap.
  • infants and toddlers
  • infants and toddlers
  • toddlers and preschoolers

I just want to talk about how toddlers are such little sponges.

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Examples

  • It can be challenging to keep an eye on a toddler who is constantly exploring their surroundings.

  • I just want to talk about how toddlers are such little sponges.

  • To go anywhere with a toddler like this is just the dream.

  • But traveling with the toddler is tough.

  • There, they happened to pass by a couple with a crying toddler in a stroller.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Parents easily recognize the unique way their child plays with sounds as a toddler and preschooler.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The young mother bounces her toddler up and down, singing to it under her breath.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • One in four infants and toddlers under the age of three is poor.

    Academic text (1992)
  • You and me we've known each other since we were toddlers.

  • Bob is surrounded by Lily Marvin, three toddlers, and lots of friends.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

child
vstoddler
1.0

A young person who is not yet an adult, often a son or daughter

is narrower and specifies the early walking age of one to three
young person
vstoddler
777 1.0

A child or teenager who is not yet an adult

is limited to the narrow early walking stage around ages one to three
youngster
vstoddler
213 1.0

A child or teenager who is not yet an adult

is more specific to infants who have just started walking between one and three
kiddie
vstoddler
  • Informal
87 7.7

A young child

is the standard neutral term rather than casual or playful language
preschooler
vstoddler
23 2.3

A young child who goes to school before starting primary school

is focused on age one to three rather than school attendance
tot
vstoddler
  • Informal
16 2.2

A very young child who has just started to walk

is the general neutral term for children aged about one to three
bambino
vstoddler
  • Informal
9 8.0

A young child who is just starting to walk

is the neutral standard term for that early walking age
rugrat
vstoddler
  • Slang
4 8.2

A young child who crawls or is learning to walk

is the neutral developmental term for early walkers aged around one to three

How Young

newborn
142 1.0
infant
411 1.0
toddler
171 1.0
preschooler
23 2.3
child
1.0
adult
1.0

Surface Forms

toddler singular
toddlers plural

Morphology

toddler = toddle (transparent) = toddle + er

Formed by the verb 'toddle' + '-er' meaning 'one who toddles', so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

Toddler comes from the verb toddle, which means 'to walk unsteadily'. It began in the 1800s to name small children who had just started to walk, so a toddler is a young child 'learning to walk'.