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

Caleb Flynn’s two preteen daughters seemed nervous after speaking privately with their father days following their mother’s fatal shooting, according to testimony in his murder trial Tuesday. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

Some kids depicted in CSAM ads could not be matched, but ads overwhelmingly depicted preteen girls, TTP reported. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Some ads featured photos of real kids, including a press photo of a young member of a European royal family and images swiped from a popular Instagram profile of a preteen girl deemed an influencer. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026

Magnetic and unforgettable, preteen Baquero’s performance anchored a major awards-season breakthrough for del Toro. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 June 2026

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
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between
• bromine

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