only child

noun

: a person who never had a brother or sister

Examples of only child in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The only child of Ortega and his second wife, Flora Pérez, Marta spent a lot of time with her maternal grandmother while her parents were working at Zara. — Gaby Wood, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2026 By the time Nidhi got home from school, her mother had locked herself into her bedroom, and Nidhi was an only child again. — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026 Luk, an only child who grew up surrounded by cousins, was amused by the way relatives can inhabit incompatible versions of the same history. — Callum McLennan, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026 Barker is also close with his stepdaughter Atiana, who is Moakler’s only child with ex Oscar de la Hoya. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for only child

Rhymes for only child

See All Rhymes for only child

Browse Nearby Words

only
only child
only fair
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Only child.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/only%20child. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of prowess

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All