: 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
Staff Author, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024
Sharing a photo of the preteen performing during her mom's Renaissance tour, Knowles praised Blue Ivy's work ethic in his lengthy caption.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024
The show is especially smart in letting its preteen protagonist be a preteen: Where the films aged up Percy and his friends to their late teens and early 20s, the charm of Riordan’s original books is how his 12-year-old hero actually feels like a 12-year-old.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023
The girl, whom The Post is not identifying, was a preteen at the time.
—Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
Morrison married Perry’s mother, Suzanne, also a journalist, in 1981 while Perry was still a preteen.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
The singer has had daughter Willow onstage before, with the preteen joining her mom during a concert last year.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
The group, a 41-year-old woman and three preteens, got lost hiking the Friendship Trail in Kaneohe on March 2, the Honolulu Fire Department said in a news release.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024
Nearly one in three preteens lists influencing as a career goal, and 11 percent of those born in Generation Z, between 1997 and 2012, describe themselves as influencers.
—Michael H. Keller, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
Jitsiree Thongnoi, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Jan. 2024
There’s a reason uptight parents of the ’80s were less than thrilled at the thought of their preteen daughters being wannabes, as Madonna fans were labeled in the media.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024
In the film, Dexter sees a preteen girl reading the book while in transit.
—Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024
An Oregon man accused of spiking smoothies with sedatives and giving them to his daughter’s preteen friends has been charged with multiple felonies, according to court documents.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2024
The writers — clearly guided by Netflix oversight — are aiming for an all-ages adventure, targeting both nostalgic millennials and a new generation of preteen fans.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024
Later in the carousel, Mallette featured some photos of what appear to be Bieber’s preteen and teenage years before returning to today with a shot from the star’s 30th birthday festivities.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
The show is especially smart in letting its preteen protagonist be a preteen: Where the films aged up Percy and his friends to their late teens and early 20s, the charm of Riordan’s original books is how his 12-year-old hero actually feels like a 12-year-old.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023
Continue reading … ‘WILDERNESS THERAPY’ – Suspicious death of preteen boy at controversial camp sheds light on troubling trend.
—Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024
Noun
The rectangular frame is mature, classic, and trendy, prompting one of our preteens to strike a pose upon immediately trying them on.
—Staff Author, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024
Sharing a photo of the preteen performing during her mom's Renaissance tour, Knowles praised Blue Ivy's work ethic in his lengthy caption.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024
The show is especially smart in letting its preteen protagonist be a preteen: Where the films aged up Percy and his friends to their late teens and early 20s, the charm of Riordan’s original books is how his 12-year-old hero actually feels like a 12-year-old.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023
The girl, whom The Post is not identifying, was a preteen at the time.
—Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
Morrison married Perry’s mother, Suzanne, also a journalist, in 1981 while Perry was still a preteen.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
The singer has had daughter Willow onstage before, with the preteen joining her mom during a concert last year.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
The group, a 41-year-old woman and three preteens, got lost hiking the Friendship Trail in Kaneohe on March 2, the Honolulu Fire Department said in a news release.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024
Nearly one in three preteens lists influencing as a career goal, and 11 percent of those born in Generation Z, between 1997 and 2012, describe themselves as influencers.
—Michael H. Keller, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Last year, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration started providing free period pads to teen and preteen students in seven schools across the capital, becoming the first public organization to do so.
—Jitsiree Thongnoi, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Jan. 2024
There’s a reason uptight parents of the ’80s were less than thrilled at the thought of their preteen daughters being wannabes, as Madonna fans were labeled in the media.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024
In the film, Dexter sees a preteen girl reading the book while in transit.
—Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024
An Oregon man accused of spiking smoothies with sedatives and giving them to his daughter’s preteen friends has been charged with multiple felonies, according to court documents.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2024
The writers — clearly guided by Netflix oversight — are aiming for an all-ages adventure, targeting both nostalgic millennials and a new generation of preteen fans.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024
Later in the carousel, Mallette featured some photos of what appear to be Bieber’s preteen and teenage years before returning to today with a shot from the star’s 30th birthday festivities.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
The show is especially smart in letting its preteen protagonist be a preteen: Where the films aged up Percy and his friends to their late teens and early 20s, the charm of Riordan’s original books is how his 12-year-old hero actually feels like a 12-year-old.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023
Continue reading … ‘WILDERNESS THERAPY’ – Suspicious death of preteen boy at controversial camp sheds light on troubling trend.
—Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'preteen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Preteen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preteen. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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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