Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

baby

Pronunciation: /ˈbeɪbi/
Translate baby | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of baby

noun (plural babies)

  • 1a very young child:his wife’s just had a baby [as modifier]:a baby girl
  • a very young animal: bats only have one baby a year [as modifier]:baby rabbits
  • the youngest member of a family or group: Clara was the baby of the family
  • a timid or childish person:‘Don’t be such a baby!’ she said witheringly
  • (one's baby) informal one’s particular responsibility or concern: ‘This is your baby, Gerry,’ she said, handing him the brief
  • 2 informal a lover or spouse (often as a form of address):my baby left me for another guy
  • a thing regarded with affection or familiarity:this baby can reach speeds of 120 mph

adjective

[attributive]
  • comparatively small or immature of its kind:a baby version of the Oxford Movement
  • (of vegetables) picked before reaching their usual size:baby carrots

verb (babies, babying, babied)

[with object]
  • treat (someone) as a baby; pamper or be overprotective towards: her aunt babied her and fussed over her clothes

Phrases

throw the baby out with the bathwater

discard something valuable along with other things that are undesirable.

Derivatives

babyhood

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: probably imitative of an infant's first attempts at speech

baby in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of baby in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite
Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

GET PRO ►

Shop for an Oxford dictionary
Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

logomachy

/ ləˈgɒməki /
noun
an argument about words …