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dean's list

American  

noun

  • dean's lists
    plural
  1. a list of students of high scholastic standing, compiled by a college or university usually at the end of each semester or academic year.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of dean's list

First recorded in 1925–30


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.

See Examples For:

Good made the dean’s list that year, according to a school post.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026

He consistently made the dean’s list at the College of Business at Oregon State University in Corvallis and graduated third in his class in 1965.

From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2023

She was studying international relations, she had made the dean’s list, and in recent weeks she had written a series of upbeat social media posts.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 11, 2022

People won’t see the hardworking student who was on the dean’s list, she said.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 17, 2021

When she made the dean’s list, he celebrated.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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