dorm
Americannoun
-
dorms
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dorm
First recorded in 1895–1900; by shortening
Explanation
A dorm — short for dormitory — is a place where college or university students live. You'll find a lot of bunk beds in most dorms. If you go away to college, you’ll probably live in a dormitory — or dorm. It's much more common for students to say dorm because it's shorter and slangier. A dorm is where students live, often with roommates. Dorms have laundry rooms and rec rooms, and it's a place where many friendships are made. Students often study or try to avoid studying in the dorm. It's their home away from home. Dorms are also called residence halls and student residences.
Vocabulary lists containing dorm
Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 2
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Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 2
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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:
The criminal complaint alleges that on 21 September, an Ole Miss student was found dead in his dorm room.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Winterich conducted an experiment with college students moving out of dorm rooms.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
You tell Muse to check the syllabi for her classes and order all the books to her dorm room.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
It hasn’t opened a new dorm since 2009, and years of reviews showed students wanted more housing near the main campus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Okay, can you give me some basics? Your dorm? Your roommate?”
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
It’s also a good way to get daily exercise walking or jogging up the hill beyond school dorms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
In 2025, it borrowed $458 million to build new dorms near its main campus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
In a documentary capturing the band's early days, external, the trainees were berated for posting photos from their dorms on social media.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Digital spaces can still provide community without that friction, which is why so many college students spend so much time in their dorms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
“When I first got to the dorms, my roommate was already set up in our room. Guy looks up at me and goes ‘’Sup, homie?
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
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.
