freshman

American

[fresh-muhn] / ˈfrɛʃ mən /

noun

plural

freshmen

a student in the first year of the course at a university, college, or high school.
a novice; beginner.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of a freshman.

to outgrow one's freshman attitudes.
lacking seniority or experience; junior.

a freshman senator.
required of or suitable for freshmen.

freshman courses.
initial; first.

This is my freshman year with the company.

Gender

See -man.

Other Word Forms

freshmanship noun
prefreshman noun
subfreshman noun

Etymology

Origin of freshman

First recorded in 1540–50; fresh + -man

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.

My daughter got into trouble with credit cards as a freshman.

From MarketWatch

The Huskies tipped a pass and chased down a steal, and the ball found its way into the hands of freshman Braylon Mullins.

From The Wall Street Journal

Are NIL deals affecting the choices of these future freshmen?

From Los Angeles Times

In the evolving landscape of college basketball, talented freshmen fated to spend two semesters on campus before rushing off to the NBA draft used to be all the rage.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We educated a lot of freshmen, sophomores, and newcomers,” Marks said.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023