curriculum
Americannoun
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the aggregate of courses of study given in a school, college, university, etc..
The school is adding more science courses to its curriculum.
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the regular or a particular course of study in a school, college, etc.
noun
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a course of study in one subject at a school or college
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a list of all the courses of study offered by a school or college
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any programme or plan of activities
Usage
Plural word for curriculum The plural form of curriculum can be either curricula or curriculums, although curricula is more commonly used. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -um are also formed in the same way, including memorandum/memoranda, and bacterium/bacteria. Irregular plurals that are formed like curricula derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin. However, the usual plural -s ending is often also acceptable for many of these terms, as in curriculums and memorandums.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of curriculum
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin: “action of running, course of action, race, chariot,” equivalent to curr(ere) “to run” + -i- -i- + -culum -cule 2
Explanation
A curriculum is a set of courses designed to give expertise, like the shoemaking curriculum at Shoe U: Advanced Cutting, Hammering, and Stitching; History of the Heel; and A Cultural History of Walking. Curriculum comes from the Latin word for "running course," or "career," but when we talk about curriculum it's always about school. If you go to a school with a Liberal Arts curriculum, you'll get an education in the humanities with some science, but if you go to a technical school with a hard-core astrophysics curriculum, you probably won't have to take any courses on poetry.
Vocabulary lists containing curriculum
The Vocabulary of College
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Make a Run for It: Cur, Curs
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Schooled
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A year ago, Stetler handed her AI-generated curriculum material, and she had felt, in her words, lazy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
But the agency to which that money was transferred apparently didn’t get these ICE agents to wear body cameras, and it doesn’t seem to have a particularly effective de-escalation curriculum.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026
Not all Kitui residents put the blame for school closures solely on the curriculum.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
"I was hoping the government would restore operations here - bring more teachers and facilities to accommodate the new curriculum - but there is no hope," her mother says.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
In elementary school, or any early formal educational setting, children often learn music from a music specialist with a set music curriculum and learning goals.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The words “horsemanship” and “citizenship” appeared in schools’ curricula, along with — from a 1925 ad for King’s Military Academy in Highland Park — “gentlemanship.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
Indeed, some institutions have eliminated whole offices, revised curricula, and restructured programs.
From Slate ● May 14, 2026
Elementary-school curricula are full of stories of lone inventors experiencing flashes of inspiration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
More broadly, Chávez is an important figure in multiple California curricula and serves as a Latino and liberal icon in a Democratic state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026
I know the answer to every question already, since I’ve studied the seventh- and eighth-grade curricula in Kunu Yaku.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
“To know that my work is part of curriculums and it’s read and studied.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Popular methodologies today for middle and high schools stress group work, projects, technology, and an oppressive focus on math and science curriculums.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
“People just don't know how our parents came here. It was never in any of our curriculums to know about this.”
From Salon ● May 20, 2024
She developed curriculums for students and teachers, organized conferences, and wrote scholarly articles and books to spread a gospel that resonated in progressive congregations and on college campuses.
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
He’d been researching online high school curriculums ever since the homeschool question first came up, and now he was ready.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
