freshman
Americannoun
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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
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.
Bri has tied the @BigTen freshman home run record with her 23rd of the year!
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026
Why wait months to release a report that looks as if it were whipped up by a high school freshman an hour before deadline?
From Slate • May 23, 2026
With Dearica Hamby starting and the addition of Nneka Ogwumike, she is coming off the bench again after doing so last year for the first time since her freshman season at Stanford.
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026
She also won the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s premier player, becoming the first freshman to ever win it.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
After his freshman season, Coach had pulled Luke out of the hallway and taken him to the teacher’s lounge.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
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.
