'tween

• Rhymes: -iːn

'tween

1. Apheretic form of between.
   • 2021 April 18, Christy Stratton & Erin Wagoner, “Hoot 'N Haw” (1:33 from the start), in Bless the Harts‎^[1], season 2, episode 18, spoken by Denise (Kristen Wiig):

     “Skunks first colonized this land in 1794. With the arrival of European settlers, an uneasy truce was established tween man and skunk. Gifts were exchanged. Treaties were struck... and broken. A feud ignited, resulting in the Battle of Skunktown.”

'tween (third-person singular simple present 'tweens, present participle 'tweening, simple past and past participle 'tweened)

1. (animation) Alternative form of tween

'tween (plural 'tweens)

1. Alternative form of tween (“a tweenager”).
   • 2002 June 27, Leslie Earnest, “‘Tweens: From Dolls to Thongs”, in Los Angeles Times‎^[2], Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 3 June 2021:

     Known as ‘tweens in the marketing world, youngsters in this age group are spending like never before, $90 billion a year, by one estimate. […] Today’s ‘tweens make for picky, fickle shoppers with a keen awareness of what’s hot and a hankering to look more grown-up than they are.

   • 2004 April 26, Sharon Waxman, “Cracks in Hollywood's Glass-Slipper Genre”, in The New York Times‎^[3], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 28 May 2015:

     The success of blockbuster films like "The Princess Diaries" and the comedy remake "Freaky Friday," in theaters and again on video and DVD, fueled a flurry of movies for teenagers and 'tweens.

   • 2004 July 11, Jacqueline Cutler, “Suburban ‘tweens twist and shout -- or shriek”, in Los Angeles Times‎^[4], Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 December 2025:

     She has a group of interchangeable friends she always hangs with -- until a new ‘tween enters her life. […] And as it goes with these movies directed at ‘tweens, there is a lesson worth learning.

   • 2005 March 18, Brendan Koerner, “A Tabloid for ‘Tweens”, in Slate‎^[5], New York, N.Y.: The Slate Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 December 2025:

     ’Tweens and their watchful parents, however, still aren’t quite ready for grown-up fare, and J-14 has taken advantage of this opening. It has just the right tone to reach them—puerile but non-threatening, lowbrow but chaste.

'tween (comparative more 'tween, superlative most 'tween)

1. Alternative form of tween (“tweenage”).
   • 2001 September 11, Lisa Marsh, “‘TWEEN MARKET IS IN STYLE WITH RETAILERS”, in New York Post‎^[6], New York, N.Y.: News Corp, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 August 2025:

     Teen and ‘tween consumers will be spending more than $76 billion this year on shoes and apparel that doesn’t come from the top designers.

   • 2002 February 22, Lisa Marsh, “BUBBLE YUM BEAUTY SNAPS TO LIFE”, in New York Post‎^[7], New York, N.Y.: News Corp, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 December 2025:

     Bubble Yum is targeting the highly lucrative teen and ‘tween consumers, licensing its name to Lotta Luv LLC to create a collection of beauty and personal care products. “With teen and ‘tween consumers, bubble gum is the No. 1 selling flavor for lip balm and lip gloss. […]” said Steph Fogelson, president of Lotta Luv, the manufacturer of the Bubble Yum beauty products. […] The company is targeting mass merchants and the teen/’tween specialty retailers.

   • 2002 June 27, Leslie Earnest, “‘Tweens: From Dolls to Thongs”, in Los Angeles Times‎^[8], Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 3 June 2021:

     The Zutopia and Rave Girl chains, which also boast cool clothes in ‘tween sizes, are expanding. […] Keeping up with what’s “over” and what’s still hot is enough to make an adult break out with pimples, said Barbara Fields, owner of an L.A. trend forecasting service, who visits Europe every six months to track ‘tween and teen trends for her clients. […] In fact, much ‘tween apparel is cheery and childlike--T-shirts imprinted with the word “Angel,” gingham pants and cotton undies decorated with bumblebees.

   • 2004 April 26, Sharon Waxman, “Cracks in Hollywood's Glass-Slipper Genre”, in The New York Times‎^[9], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 28 May 2015:

     But a half-dozen other movies geared toward the teenage and 'tween girl market – 'tweeners are girls from 8 to 12 years old – have failed to make more than a slight dent at the box office.

   • 2004 July 11, Jacqueline Cutler, “Suburban ‘tweens twist and shout -- or shriek”, in Los Angeles Times‎^[10], Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 December 2025:

     There is a shriek indigenous only to ‘tween girls, and if there were any justice, it would be heard only by others who consider body glitter essential.

   • 2009 August 14, Dan Pavelich, “Nanci Griffith is traditional American music at its best”, in Brian Sharkey, editor, Get Out (Kenosha News), Kenosha, Wis., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 17, column 5:

     Her killer remake of “Let the Music Play” just might expand her audience beyond the ‘tween market. A little something for the parents who are driving their junior highschoolers to the concerts is never a bad idea.

• Wente, wente