Home British & World English infant

Definition of infant in English:

infant

noun

1A very young child or baby.
‘healthy infants’
as modifier ‘infant mortality’
- ‘Our member companies are committed to the health and wellbeing of infants and young children.’
- ‘The brains of infants and very young children are capable of storing fragmented memories, however.’
- ‘Most patients who failed to endure were younger children or infants.’
- ‘Keep infants and young children away from newly mown grass.’
- ‘Young children, infants and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning.’
- ‘Extended families help in caring for infants and young children.’
- ‘In infants and very young children, pertussis can be deadly, so call your child's doctor right away.’
- ‘There is no consensus, however, on when and how to treat infants and young children with symptoms of asthma.’
- ‘Viral infection is the cause of fever in most infants and young children.’
- ‘In infants and young children, the tube is wider, straighter and shorter than in adults.’
- ‘This is a very practical course that explores the value of play in the lives of infants, toddlers and young children.’
- ‘The disease is much more serious in children, especially infants younger than 6 months of age.’
- ‘Shaken baby syndrome occurs most frequently in infants younger than six months old, yet can occur up to the age of three.’
- ‘The Rules of the Road clearly states that infants or young children should never be left unattended in a car.’
- ‘For children, the ranges are similar, except infants and young children should get slightly more fat.’
- ‘Several delivery devices are available for infants and young children.’
- ‘Children consistently rated girls better caregivers for infants, young kids and the elderly.’
- ‘When we made the decision to adopt, we decided to seek a child from China because we were assured we could adopt a young and healthy infant there.’
- ‘Very young children and newborn infants require a lower dose than older children.’
- ‘But, we haven't found a way to take care of our elderly, our poor, young children and infants.’
baby, newborn, young child, little child, little one
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1. 1.1British A schoolchild between the ages of about four and eight.
  as modifier ‘their first year at infant school’
  ‘Finally the infants and nursery school children are together.’
  ‘Angry parents and residents were protesting yesterday over a proposal to build a mobile phone mast near an infant and junior school.’
  ‘Around 100 children were selected by Pinehurst junior and infants schools to attend the party.’
  ‘All parents are welcome to attend with children in the schools from junior infants right up to sixth class.’
  ‘Proposals have been revealed for the infant school, junior school and nursery to move to a new campus off Sheepfoot Lane, within the perimeter of Heaton Park.’
2. 1.2as modifier Denoting something in an early stage of its development.
  ‘the infant Labour Party’
  ‘It's a program still in its infant stage, and change is inevitable.’
  ‘They caution that brain fingerprinting is in its infant stage and may never result in a reliable polygraph.’
  ‘Clearly, Ohio is not in an infant stage as far as hockey goes.’
  ‘The first step to bring the web beyond its infant stage is to understand where we are at and what tools we have at our disposal.’
  ‘Governments provided public goods and promoted infant industries.’
  ‘As raw as the theatrical chops may have been at this infant stage, the underlying talent is unquestionably in place.’
  ‘I think we are at the very infant stages of this debate, even though 18 months is perhaps not a very long time in the media.’
  ‘Jeeps and lorries trundled down asphalt roads and the safari package tour was in its infant stages.’
  ‘How do you judge an infant company endeavoring to develop its business abroad?’
  ‘If we do all this, we have truly begun to develop the infant medium.’
  ‘Running a party now, without electoral commission funding or time to establish a brand would simply kill any infant party before it had any time to grow.’
  ‘OOL is an infant science, and it seems to me that progress is being made.’
  ‘From the early infant stage, children with autism are likely to be developmentally delayed.’
  ‘Although the Texans' roster is only in its infant stages of development, the staff has had plenty to do besides scouting.’
  ‘Again, we utilized a portion of the 800 system back then - it was in its infant stages in implementation.’
  ‘One thing the Malians have in mind is help in developing their infant tourist industry.’
  developing, emergent, emerging, dawning, embryonic, nascent, new, fledgling, budding, burgeoning, growing, up-and-coming
  View synonyms
3. 1.3Law A person who has not attained legal majority.
  ‘It may look different if the person being detained is an infant utterly incapable of fleeing the jurisdiction or giving trouble.’
  ‘I would ask the Court to note that the plaintiff is an infant.’
  ‘The child was therefore an infant when his mother married, and only knew his step-father for a period of 7 months.’
  ‘If the third party is an infant or is mentally disordered, this lack of rational capacity may be regarded as sufficient to discount the third party's act in causal terms.’
  ‘In the result the benefit of the lease was assigned by decree to the infant and the trustee, subject to indemnity, made to account for profits.’