baby
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
A very young mammal.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
baybeeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbeɪbi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A very young mammal
Any very young animal, especially a vertebrate; many species have specific names for their babies, such as kittens for the babies of cats, puppies for the babies of dogs, and chicks for the babies of birds. See:Category:Baby animals for more.
A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered.
A very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
A very young human, even if not yet born.
An immature childish person
adjective
in the comparative or superlative
Like or pertaining to a baby, in size or youth; small, young.
Newest (overall, or in some group or state); most inexperienced.
verb
transitive
To coddle; to pamper somebody like an infant.
transitive
To tend (something) with care; to be overly attentive to (something), fuss over.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Word Aura is being prepared for this meaning.
More ways to use baby
- “The baby began to cry again.”noun
- “I felt healthy and very feminine carrying the baby.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A small vehicle with four wheels in which a baby or child is pushed around.
Son and successor of Francois Duvalier as president of Haiti.
A specialist in the care of babies.
Someone who runs an establishment that houses and cares for babies for a fee.
A small grand piano.
A small grand piano.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The work of a baby sitter.
A small bed for babies.
A child's room for a baby.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.