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.

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alumnus British  

/ əˈlʌmnəs /

noun

1. a graduate of a school, college, etc

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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

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a Cambridge alumnus, has called Arday's death "a tragedy on so many levels".

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

“It will be a time for Brett to expand his skill set,” said Brian Adams, another BLS alumnus who once supervised him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

"The new finds of Homo teeth from 2.6 -- 2.8 million year old sediments -- reported in this paper -- confirms the antiquity of our lineage," said Brian Villmoare, lead author and ASU alumnus.

From Science Daily ● May 16, 2026

Father Enzo Del Brocco, president of the Catholic Theological Union, of which Leo is an alumnus, said that the two men see the world in “fundamentally different ways.”

From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026

Duke alumnus William Styron sent a note expressing his “fullest sympathy and support.”

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Castelion was co-founded by three SpaceX alumni under the premise that a new manufacturer could design, test and produce weaponry more quickly than traditional defense contractors like RTX and Lockheed Martin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Most of Gen. Munir’s predecessors were alumni of the prestigious Pakistan Military Academy near Abbottabad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

He took a moment to look back when talking to a class of 1958 alumni, noticing the size of the plant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

It counts many prominent Thai figures among its alumni, from diplomats and athletes to several prime ministers.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

They say they want to make an effort to admit more low-income students, just as they now do for minorities and children of alumni.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• alum
• graduate