children

children — noun

1. the plural form of child; more than one young person, or more than one son or da

1.nounA1
Definition

the plural form of child; more than one young person, or more than one son or daughter of a parent at any age.

Example

Mira's two children go to the same school, just a short walk from their house.

possessive + children (Mira's children)

The children in Ramón's class planted flowers in the school garden last spring.

the children in [context/place]

Common collocations
  • raise / bring up children
  • young / small / little children
  • school-age children
  • children play / grow / learn / laugh
  • look after / care for children
  • children of all ages
Synonyms
  • kids

    informal; very common in everyday speech but less suitable for formal writing

  • youngsters

    slightly informal; emphasises that they are young rather than the parent-child relationship

  • offspring

    formal or scientific; neutral about age, includes adult children

Antonyms
  • adults

    people who are fully grown, as opposed to children

  • parents

    the adults who have or care for the children

Grammar Patterns

the children

possessive + children

number + children

children of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Children is the only correct plural form of child. It is an irregular plural — it does not simply add -s or -es like most English nouns (e.g. dog → dogs, box → boxes). The incorrect form "childs" is a common error among learners.

Common Mistakes

She has three childs.
She has three children.
children is the irregular plural of child; never add -s to make the plural.
The childrens are playing outside.
The children are playing outside.
children is already plural; do not add another plural -s.
A children is in the yard.
A child is in the yard.
children is plural; use child for one person.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Children is the standard, neutral plural of child and suits almost any situation. Kids is informal and very common in everyday conversation ('The kids are playing in the backyard'), but feels out of place in formal writing such as academic papers or legal documents. Youngsters is mildly informal and focuses on the fact that the people are young rather than on the parent-child bond; it is often used in a slightly approving or affectionate tone. Offspring is formal or scientific and can sound unnatural in casual talk ('They brought their offspring to the picnic') — it works best in biological, legal, or humorous contexts.

kidsyoungstersoffspring ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • group of children
  • children of all ages
  • parent of young children

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Children comes from Old English 'cild' (child) plus the old plural suffix '-en', which was once a common way to make plurals in English (compare 'oxen'). Over time, most -en plurals disappeared, but 'children' survived as one of the few remaining examples. The 'r' in the middle appeared in Middle English, influenced by the now-lost plural form 'childer'.