preparatory school
Americannoun
-
a private or parochial secondary school, especially one boarding its students and providing a college-preparatory education.
-
British. a private elementary school, especially one preparing its students for public school.
noun
-
(in Britain) a private school, usually single-sex and for children between the ages of 6 and 13, generally preparing pupils for public school
-
(in the US) a private secondary school preparing pupils for college
Etymology
Origin of preparatory school
First recorded in 1815–25
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.
He played soccer and went to Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School, a Catholic preparatory school in Arlington.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
But when Paul Andrew Perez, the head of drama at an American college preparatory school, died suddenly, the last thing his students wanted to do was put on a show.
From BBC • Aug. 7, 2025
His sole coaching experience had come as head coach of Hebron Christian Academy, a college preparatory school in Georgia, from 2017-2020.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 15, 2022
When he boarded the car at the Metro Center station, it was packed with dozens of students, some wearing shirts and backpacks from Landon — a college preparatory school in Bethesda.
From Washington Post • Sep. 6, 2022
Brinker looked the standard preparatory school article in his gray gabardine suit with square, hand-sewn-looking jacket pockets, a conservative necktie, and dark brown cordovan shoes.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
