playdate

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "playdate" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you are referring to an informal agreement to have two children play together at an agreed-upon time. Example sentence: My daughter is having a playdate with her best friend this Sunday.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

55 human-written examples

So Tammi wanted to cancel the playdate to ensure that Ari would not tell her son, "There is no Santa – he's just your parents", and shake his belief.

Independent

I know you said you were busy for the next couple of months but I would love you to bring Blue Ivy over for a playdate.

Independent

Nothing wrong with the moms playing a little at a playdate, right?

The New Yorker

Jessie has soccer; Sammy has a party; Jess and Sam have tennis; Sammy has a playdate; Bubbies has "gym" (an hour in which babies waddle around a large, highly polished floor, heedless of the commands of an "instructor," and bump into one another); Jessie starts piano.

The New Yorker

My jaws get physically tired after an afternoon repeating words like "playdate," "nap," "box tops" and "show and tell".

The New Yorker

Lisa's office is down the block from our apartment, and my mother, sensing some trepidation, pulls me aside and says to think of it like a playdate.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

5 human-written examples

I say this as a woman who spends a third of her time checking emails, struggling to meet deadlines; another third scooting the kids between classes, arranging playdates et al; and the final third sobbing at the overwhelming impossibility of it all.

The Guardian - Opinion

In England, she felt guilty for coming from wealth, and she found it hard to tempt schoolfriends home for playdates given that her father was once reputed to have bitten the head off a bat.

Independent

I was never invited on playdates or to birthday parties".

Independent

The twenty-five-dollar admission included a cocktail, snacks, and plenty of promising new adult playdates.

The New Yorker

"I like not just being the figurehead of the family — it means that I want to take the kids to school, I want to pick them up, and I want to take them on their playdates and come home and do their homework with them and understand actually in detail what their homework is rather than having it relayed to me by my wife".

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about scheduling activities for children, specify the age range or developmental stage to highlight the appropriateness of a "playdate".

Common error

Avoid using "playdate" to describe structured educational sessions or formal childcare arrangements. "Playdate" implies an informal, social activity primarily focused on play.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "playdate" functions primarily as a noun, referring to a scheduled social gathering for children to play together. Ludwig AI confirms this usage through numerous examples where "playdate" serves as the subject or object of a sentence, indicating its role as a thing or event.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

99%

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "playdate" is a common noun phrase referring to a scheduled social gathering for children to play together. Ludwig AI confirms it is grammatically correct and widely used, particularly in News & Media. The term carries a neutral to informal register, suitable for general conversations and parenting contexts. To ensure clarity, it's best used to describe informal, social activities primarily focused on play, avoiding its application to structured educational sessions. Alternative phrases like "arranged play session" or "children's get-together" can be used for variety while maintaining semantic accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

arranged play session

Replaces "date" with "session", emphasizing the scheduled aspect.

children's get-together

Uses a more general term for a social meeting of children.

kids' social gathering

Similar to "children's get-together", highlighting the social aspect.

scheduled play time

Focuses on the activity itself being planned, rather than the social event.

informal play session

Specifies that the play session is not formally structured.

social time with peers

Emphasizes the interaction with children of the same age.

casual play meeting

Replaces "date" with "meeting", suggesting a less formal arrangement.

children's social appointment

Highlights the scheduled nature of the social interaction.

organized play event

Emphasizes the structured aspect of the play activity.

group play activity

Focuses on the collective nature of the play.

FAQs

How to use "playdate" in a sentence?

You can use "playdate" to describe a scheduled meeting for children to play together, such as: "My son has a "playdate" with his classmate this afternoon."

What can I say instead of "playdate"?

You can use alternatives like "arranged play session", "children's get-together", or "kids' social gathering" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "playdate" or "play date"?

"Playdate" is typically written as one word. "Play date", while understandable, is less common in contemporary usage.

What's the difference between "playdate" and "babysitting"?

A ""playdate"" is a social meeting between children, often with parents present or nearby, for the purpose of playing together. "Babysitting" implies a caregiver is responsible for a child's supervision and well-being, often without the primary goal of social interaction.