varsity

American  

[vahr-si-tee] / ˈvɑr sɪ ti /

noun

plural

varsities

1. any first-string team, especially in sports, that represents a school, college, university, or the like.

   He is on the varsity in tennis and in debating.

2. Chiefly British Informal. university.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a university or school team, activity, or competition.

   a varsity debater.

varsity British  

/ ˈvɑːsɪtɪ /

noun

1. informal university, formerly used esp at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge

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Other Word Forms

• intervarsity
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of varsity

1840–50; compare versity university, in 17th century; pronunciation probably preserves historical outcome of Middle English ĕr, as in varmint

Compare meaning

How does varsity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• varsity vs. junior varsity

Explanation

The word varsity identifies the starting team in a sport at a college or university. You have to be good to make varsity. At many schools, sports are a big deal. Thousands of people flock to college football and basketball games, plus other sports. The members of the starting team are varsity players. Varsity players are the best players: that’s why they start, and they usually finish the game too. It can take a while for a player to make varsity status.

Example Sentences

Jennifer was a lead reporter on the Varsity Blues higher-education case and is the co-author of "Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of the College Admissions Scandal," published in 2020.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

“I created a Varsity Team Starter Kit, outlining the steps we used to establish pickleball as a school-sanctioned varsity sport. Leaders at other schools are actively using it to establish their own teams.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026

"All Welsh Varsity Rugby tickets will remain valid and the fixture times remain unchanged," it said.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2025

Interested in majoring in sports medicine or exercise science, Kennedy is on Santa Margarita’s Varsity Leadership Counsel and has umpired and worked with young players on their mechanics.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2025

Most of them had joined the Varsity Boat Club and lived in the club’s rented house on Seventeenth Avenue, a block north of the campus, though joe remained in the basement of the YMCA.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown