college

American  

[kol-ij] / ˈkɒl ɪdʒ /

noun

• colleges
  plural

1. an institution of higher learning, especially one providing a general or liberal arts education rather than technical or professional training.

2. a constituent unit of a university, furnishing courses of instruction in the liberal arts and sciences, usually leading to a bachelor's degree.

3. an institution for vocational, technical, or professional instruction, as in medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, or music, often a part of a university.

4. an endowed, self-governing association of scholars incorporated within a university, as at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England.

5. a similar corporation outside a university.

6. the building or buildings occupied by an institution of higher education.

7. the administrators, faculty, and students of a college.

8. (in Britain and Canada) a private secondary school.

9. an organized association of persons having certain powers and rights, and performing certain duties or engaged in a particular pursuit.

   The Electoral College formally selects the president.

10. a company; assemblage.

11. Also called collegium. a body of clergy living together on a foundation for religious service or similar activity.

12. British Slang. a prison.

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college British  

/ ˈkɒlɪdʒ /

noun

1. an institution of higher education; part of a university

2. a school or an institution providing specialized courses or teaching

   a college of music

3. the building or buildings in which a college is housed

4. the staff and students of a college

5. an organized body of persons with specific rights and duties See also Sacred College

   an electoral college

6. a body of clerics living in community and supported by endowment

7. an obsolete slang word for prison

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• postcollege
  noun
• precollege
  noun
• subcollege
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• colleges
  plural

Etymology

Origin of college

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Middle French, from Latin collēgium, from col- col- ¹ + lēg-, variant stem of legere “to choose, gather, read” + -ium -ium; cf. colleague

Explanation

In the US, people pursuing education after high school go to college––spending either two or four years earning an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree. Many colleges are housed within universities. College derives from the Latin collegium 'partnership, association.' While a university offers many programs leading to graduate degrees beyond a bachelor's degree, a college is undergraduate only. So if you want to pursue becoming a lawyer, a doctor, or a college professor, chances are college is just a weigh station on your route to graduate school.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

college colleges

She initially attended school in Coleraine, but since her family moved to Belfast she has not been able to get a place in school or college.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

When I moved to Columbia, S.C., as a college freshman, the city of less than 150,000 overwhelmed me.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Batter’s father, John, is a historian at a California community college.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The researchers collected anonymous survey responses from approximately 400 college students, gathering information about their diets, sleep patterns, exercise habits, and other lifestyle factors.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

She’s working there full-time now but is going to go part-time in the fall when she starts classes at the community college.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

No explosive devices were found at any of the colleges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

Some of those selected will feature in a Pro Flag Showcase during Super Bowl week in February while an increasing number of flag football scholarships are being made available at US colleges.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

The actor was in and out of colleges but studied acting and grew fond of Shakespeare, according to People.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

And now, following stints at 7-Eleven, two community colleges and summer ball in Alaska, he’s the most improbable of October heroes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The collection of tables and chairs had been rearranged into a basic U shape around the room, and multiple colleges had set up their displays on them.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro