child
/tʃaɪld/ (bre, ipa) · [tʃˈaɪld] /tʃaɪld/ (ame, ipa) · [tʃˈaɪld] /ˈchī(-ə)ld/ (ame, mw)
child — noun
- childsingular
- childrenplural
1. someone who is still growing up, or one of a parent's children no matter how old
someone who is still growing up, or one of a parent's children no matter how old that person becomes
Each child received a red lantern before the school parade began.
each child + receive + object
Mateo and his sister were the only children awake after midnight.
The nurse asked which child in the family needed the inhaler.
Romi was listed as the couple's only child in the will.
At seventy, Walid was still the youngest child in the family.
文法句型
a child
the youngest child
an only child
用法筆記
In family relationships, this sense can refer to sons or daughters even when they are already adults.
常見錯誤
2. an adult who reacts in an immature or unreasonable way, especially when things d
an adult who reacts in an immature or unreasonable way, especially when things do not go their way
Lukas slammed the menu shut and sulked like a child.
sulk like a child
The coach told James not to be a child about losing.
be a child about + losing
After the schedule changed, Madison stamped off like a child.
Christopher acted like a child when the printer stopped working.
- grown-up
someone acting with maturity and self-control
文法句型
be a child about + [something]
act like a child
用法筆記
Usually follows 'be' or 'act like' and is clearly critical, not affectionate.
常見錯誤
3. someone whose outlook was shaped deeply by the era or conditions they grew up in
someone whose outlook was shaped deeply by the era or conditions they grew up in
Asher is a child of the internet age and reads news online first.
a child of + the internet age
Kofi calls himself a child of the 1990s and loves cassette tapes.
Liang is a child of wartime rationing and wastes nothing at meals.
Romi is a child of postwar rebuilding and saves every scrap of wood.
- product of
broader and more neutral about what created the result
- creature of
more figurative and often suggests a stronger habitual tie
文法句型
a child of + era
a child of + situation
用法筆記
Nearly always appears in the pattern 'a child of ...' to show what shaped the person's outlook.