classmate
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of classmate
Explanation
Your classmate is someone who goes to school with you. It's hard to believe when you first start college that some of your classmates will become your very best friends. Your school friends are your classmates, and so are the fellow students you barely know at all. In a small class, you get to know most of your classmates fairly well, while in a large lecture even your teacher might not know all your classmates' names. The word dates from the 18th century, a combination of class, from the Latin classis, "class or division," and mate, "fellow or comrade."
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.
Rivera was at Espacio 1839 on Friday accompanying his son, Marc Rivera, one of the youngest exhibitors, alongside his classmate Miguel Yanez.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
In all, Juin borrowed $2 million from his former classmate, according to court documents.
From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026
Marcinko was an unlikely international model, says a primary school classmate who we are calling "Jozef".
From BBC • May 19, 2026
Nourafchan and a college classmate, Robert Yadgarov, didn’t trade stocks themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
Imagine, a boy who had never had even a single classmate now wanting to know about more than a thousand of them.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
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.
