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classroom

[ klas-room, -room, klahs- ]
/ ˈklæsˌrum, -ˌrʊm, ˈklɑs- /
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noun
a room, as in a school or college, in which classes are held.
any place where one learns or gains experience: The sea is the sailor's classroom.

VIDEO FOR CLASSROOM

What's The Funniest (Or Most Embarrassing) Thing You've Said During Class?

School may not physically be in session right now, but you can still say funny (and really embarrassing) things in a Zoom class too! Watch these people's most embarrassing classroom moments. Can you relate?

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Origin of classroom

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; class + room
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT CLASSROOM

What does classroom mean?

A classroom is traditionally a room in a school where a class is taught.

The word classroom is commonly used to refer to such a room at every level of education, including elementary school, high school, and college.

It can also be used in a more general way to refer to any space where students are being taught by a teacher. Some classrooms might not even be in a room—some schools have outdoor classrooms where students are taught outside, for example.

The word is sometimes used in a figurative way to refer to the primary place where someone learns and gains experience outside of a formal educational setting, as in My grandfather didn’t have much formal schooling—the farm was his classroom. 

Example: I try to set up my classroom to be a space that allows each student to learn in their own way.

Where does classroom come from?

The first records of the word classroom come from the late 1700s. The word class can refer to the group of students assembled in the classroom or to what’s being taught in it.

Classrooms can take many forms. The traditional image of a classroom is a room in a school with rows of students (often 10 to 30 or so) at their desks facing the teacher at the front. At many large universities, some students attend classes in big classrooms called lecture halls—a type of auditorium with raised seating that allows many students (perhaps more than 100) to attend the same class. The classroom can even be used to refer to a virtual space where students are gathered for online learning.

Did you know ... ?

What are some words that share a root or word element with classroom

What are some words that often get used in discussing classroom?

How is classroom used in real life?

The word classroom is commonly used at all levels of education.

 

 

Try using classroom!

Which of the following spaces could be considered a classroom?

A. a room in a school
B. an outdoor space where students learn
C. a virtual learning environment
D. all of the above

How to use classroom in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for classroom

classroom
/ (ˈklɑːsˌruːm, -ˌrʊm) /

noun
a room in which classes are conducted, esp in a school or college
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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