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• academy
  academy

  noun

  a secondary or high school, especially a private one.
• Academy
  Academy

academy

American  

[uh-kad-uh-mee] / əˈkæd ə mi /

noun

• academies
  plural

1. a secondary or high school, especially a private one.

   My daughter goes to a very exclusive academy in Chicago.

2. a school or college for special instruction or training in a subject.

   a military academy.

3. an association or institution for the advancement of art, literature, or science.

   the National Academy of Arts and Letters.

4. a group of authorities and leaders in a field of scholarship, art, etc., who are often permitted to dictate standards, prescribe methods, and criticize new ideas.

5. the Academy,

   1. the Platonic school of philosophy or its adherents.

   2. academe.

   3. French Academy.

   4. Royal Academy.

   5. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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Academy ¹ British  

/ əˈkædəmɪ /

noun

1. 1. the grove or garden near Athens where Plato taught in the late 4th century _bc

   2. the school of philosophy founded by Plato

   3. the members of this school and their successors

2. short for the French Academy Royal Academy

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academy ² British  

/ əˈkædəmɪ /

noun

1. an institution or society for the advancement of literature, art, or science

2. a school for training in a particular skill or profession

   a military academy

3. a secondary school: now used only as part of a name, and often denoting a private school

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• academies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of academy

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English achademye, achadomye, from Latin Acadēmīa, the name of the public gymnasium near Athens, sacred to the hero Academus, where Plato established his school of philosophy; from Greek Akadēmía, variant of Akadḗmeia, noun use of feminine adjective Akadḗmeios, derivative of Akádēm(os) + -eia adjective suffix; see origin at Academus; see also -y ³ ( def. )

Explanation

An academy is a fancy school, often one devoted to one subject or discipline, such as music or science. You can also use academy to describe the world of higher learning. If you show unusual gifts as a clarinetist, you should consider attending the music academy in the next town. That's where you'll learn the most about your art. It's a private school, the Goodman Academy of Music, named after Benny Goodman, who was the greatest jazz clarinetist ever. If you want to use academy in its other sense, try "Those home experiments are cool, but without peer review, the academy will never accept them as science." Darn academy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

academy Academy academies

In January, BBC Sport highlighted how Manchester City, as a separate entity, has turned selling players nurtured in their academy into big business.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Now Kimi was a member of the Mercedes driver academy, Marco could stop worrying about money, and start focusing on helping his son achieve his full potential.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Federer even recently brought his family to visit Nadal’s revamped tennis academy in Mallorca, and the two played golf together with Federer’s two teen daughters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

The military's commander for the West Bank, Major General Avi Bluth, himself attended the Bnei David pre-military academy in the settlement of Eli.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

It took a few months, but Miller finally left for the state police academy; Feliciano, for the New York City police academy.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Steve Chalke of Oasis Academy suggested there needs to be a national plan with clear guidance for schools facing increasingly hot conditions in our warming climate.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Each DPC practice sets its own membership price, typically $50 to $100 a month, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, though it can be more.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

In the space of a year, Diane Warren received Sweden’s Polar Prize, her 14th Academy Award nomination and finally got her first Oscar, an honorary award.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

He has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing, first for “Top Gun” and again for “The Thin Red Line.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

Well, no one was complaining outside the Academy at least.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Premier League clubs are increasingly looking to EFL and Scottish academies for players who can be brought into their development structures, sometimes before they have established themselves in senior football.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

It is how the system works, as I know from six years as chairman of an academies oversight committee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

There is no indication that more than a few academies members even saw the report before it was released.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Commenting generally, rather than on individual academies, he told us that pupils soon realise they have to get into the habit of meeting expectations.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

“It is a highly regarded school for individuals with special needs. They have academies all over the country.”

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya

Related Words

• boarding school
• institute
• prep school
• secondary school
• seminary