alumni
Americannoun
Usage
Plural word for alumni Alumni is the plural form of the singular noun alumnus. The plurals of several other words ending in -us are also formed in this way, such as fungus/fungi and cactus/cacti. Irregular plurals that are formed like alumni derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin. Specifically, alumnus is the masculine singular form in Latin and alumni is the masculine plural form. The feminine singular form in Latin is alumna and the feminine plural form is alumnae. Sometimes, this distinction is carried over into English. However, alumnus and alumni are both commonly used in a gender-neutral way in English. Alumni is sometimes treated as a singular noun. However, this is not considered valid in standard English, and alumni should be treated as a plural form.
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.
MacDonald said she enrolled in St. Michael’s in part because her parents are alumni, and she wanted to play lacrosse for the school.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
Close implemented Wooden’s philosophy by asking alumni for input, which led to financial literacy and mental health resources.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
In Anaheim, John Carpino tossed the first pitch, even with popular alumni such as Torii Hunter and Tim Salmon in the house.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
Growth will typically occur over a five-to-seven-year horizon once alumni outcomes become visible and employer acceptance for these students stabilises as enrolment decisions are increasingly outcome-driven in India, according to Ghosal.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
Finding a career as opposed to a job wouldn’t just come from perusing the contact pages of an alumni directory; it required deeper thought and effort.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
