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

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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

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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

But critics say the college was too lenient, and protests in several US cities last month demanded accountability.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

And it’s no coincidence that an athletic program that traditionally prided itself on its national-title winning rodeo team is making waves across college sports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

They became engaged on Christmas Day 2004 and three years later welcomed their son, Kiyan Anthony, now a 19-year-old sophomore at Syracuse University, where he is playing college basketball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

You probably traded some vacations or other luxuries to pay for college.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

“But we have to move on with our lives. The girls must get ready for college now, and I have to go back to work.”

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

It is a growing scourge for colleges, a phenomenon they call “melt.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

This report covers all of Scotland's 24 colleges - which are spread across 99 campuses and 270 buildings - and spans a 10-year period between 2027/28 and 2036/37.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

A previous SFC report warned "insolvency remains an imminent risk" at some of the country's colleges.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Winston’s priorities for the district include ensuring colleges are a pathway to opportunity and good jobs, that students can afford basic needs and that people historically shut out of higher education are let in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

She wants Roli to apply to the best colleges and for every scholarship.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

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