freshman
Americannoun
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freshmen
plural
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a student in the first year of the course at a university, college, or high school.
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a novice; beginner.
adjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of a freshman.
to outgrow one's freshman attitudes.
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lacking seniority or experience; junior.
a freshman senator.
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required of or suitable for freshmen.
freshman courses.
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initial; first.
This is my freshman year with the company.
Gender
See -man.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of freshman
Explanation
A freshman is a student in her first year of high school or college. Being a college freshman can be a little overwhelming — it's a huge change in most people's lives. Sometimes a freshman is called a "first-year student," a term that isn't so gender-specific. However, you can also use the word freshman for a a boy or a girl. Sometimes, rather than school, a freshman is new at something else: in the US Senate, first-timers are frequently called "freshman senators." The word combines the "inexperienced" sense of fresh with man, or "person."
Vocabulary lists containing freshman
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:
She became The Times’ player of the year as a freshman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
Redeaux is a freshman at USC this season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Making an immediate influence was freshman Jimin Seung, who ended the first point of the season with a kill and finished with 10.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal underwent the procedure as a college freshman and Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet had it in 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
At about one-thirty on Tuesday afternoon, Holly Goldsmith, an eighteen-year-old freshman from Taos, New Mexico, decided to take her golden retriever, Milo, for a walk.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
The University of Michigan will drop grades for first-semester freshmen next year in an effort to “curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals,” according to the school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
When we met as freshmen in college, I immediately felt safe with him.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
Riley said he believes Mosley and Riordan — and any other freshmen, for that matter — should get the chance to play all five seasons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Fortunately, my English teacher, Thomas Dolan, suggested I join Stuyvesant’s SING!, in which freshmen and sophomores competed against juniors and seniors in original productions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
There were only a few straggler freshmen waiting around to be picked up.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
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.
