Ivy League

American  

noun

1. a group of colleges and universities in the northeastern U.S., consisting of Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania, and Brown, having a reputation for high scholastic achievement and social prestige.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Ivy League colleges or their students and graduates.

Ivy League British  

noun

1. 1. a group of eight universities (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth College, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale) that have similar academic and social prestige in the US to Oxford and Cambridge in Britain

   2. ( as modifier )

      an Ivy-League education

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Ivy League Cultural  

1. A group of eight old, distinguished colleges and universities in the East, known for their ivy-covered brick buildings. The members of the Ivy League are Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale Universities; Dartmouth College; and the University of Pennsylvania.

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Other Word Forms

• Ivy Leaguer noun

Etymology

Origin of Ivy League

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

NEW YORK—Jeffrey Epstein never earned a college degree—let alone one from a fancy Ivy League university.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Three other Ivy League universities, Columbia, Penn and Brown, struck deals with Trump to preserve funding that was at risk due to similar claims by the administration, rather than go to court.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

Her stories are well-told, relevant and often searing, detailing an elementary-school teacher’s slight, a hometown swimming-pool reckoning and chauvinism from an Ivy League club.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

Of course, not everyone aims to attend an Ivy League school.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

Less than a month ago, I was within days of an Ivy League degree and a career at my father’s side.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen