alumnus

American  

[uh-luhm-nuhs] / əˈlʌm nəs /

noun

• alumni
  plural

1. a graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university, especially a man.

   As an alumnus of this university myself, I am proud to dedicate its new building.

2. a former associate, employee, member, or the like.

   He invited all the alumni of the library staff to the party.

---

alumnus British  

/ əˈlʌmnəs /

noun

1. a graduate of a school, college, etc

---

Usage

What’s the difference between alumnus and alumni? An alumnus is a graduate of a school, such as a high school or university. The plural of alumnus is alumni (which follows the plural ending construction used in other Latin-derived words, like stimulus and stimuli). In Latin, alumnus specifically refers to a male graduate, and sometimes this distinction is carried into English, with alumna being used to refer to a female graduate. The plural of alumna is alumnae. Still, alumnus and alumni are both commonly used in a gender-neutral way. The informal shortening alum is used to refer to a single graduate (regardless of gender). It’s sometimes pluralized as alums. Here’s an example of alumnus and alumni used correctly in the same sentence. Example: As an alumnus, you share something with all of the alumni, regardless of when each of you graduated. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between alumnus and alumni.

Gender

Alumnus (in Latin a masculine noun) usually refers to a male graduate or former student; the plural is alumni. An alumna (in Latin a feminine noun) refers to a female graduate or former student; the plural is alumnae. Traditionally, the masculine plural alumni has been used for mixed gender groups and is still widely so used: the alumni of Indiana University. Sometimes, to avoid any suggestion of sexism, both terms are used for mixed groups: the alumni/alumnae of Indiana University or the alumni and alumnae of Indiana University. Some people use the less formal abbreviation alum and its plural alums to avoid the complexities of the Latin forms and their unfamiliar gender inflection. Others use the terms graduate and graduates, though they are not quite equivalent in meaning, to eliminate the use of a masculine plural form to refer to all genders.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• alumni
  plural

Etymology

Origin of alumnus

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin: “foster son, pupil,” equivalent to al- (stem of alere “to suckle, feed, support”) + -u- (from stem-vowel *-o- in interior syllable) + -m(i)nus, originally passive participial suffix, akin to Greek -menos; cf. adult ( def. ), alimony

Explanation

An alumnus is a graduate of a school. You can be an alumnus of a high school, college or university. Want to be an alumnus? Then you'd better study hard and graduate: an alumnus has received a diploma or degree from a school. You've probably heard of some famous or successful alumni (the plural of alumnus from your own school: schools tend to be proud of students who have gone on to do well. Schools also like to ask each alumnus (famous or not) to give back to the school — usually monetarily.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alumnus alumni

The New York City-raised Syracuse alumnus has been enamored with the Lakers since the Showtime Era.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Then came a surprise, smaller meeting hosted by an intensely private and particularly powerful alumnus and sports-team booster—Jolin Ellison, class of 2012, an international studies graduate and Larry Ellison’s sixth wife.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The trailer alone promises a scene-chewing buffet served by a cast stacked with British TV favorites, including “Ted Lasso” alumnus Nick Mohammed.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

They were soon joined by another Polytechnique alumnus, Thomas Wolf, a wide-ranging talent who holds a doctorate in quantum physics and also worked as an intellectual property lawyer.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

When you said “Devon” to an alumnus ten years after graduation he visualized the Center Common.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

MLB front offices are filled with Ivy League alumni.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

By giving students opportunities for research, alumni connections and preprofessional clubs, universities help them build experience and put them in touch with employers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Prof Sloan added that the university is looking forward to "sustaining a close connection" with the the honorary alumni in the years ahead.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Szares knows about Notre Dame’s kicking tradition from looking at the alumni board of top football players in the gym.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Around me were other alumni of St. Joseph’s.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Related Words

• alum
• graduate