freshman

American  

[fresh-muhn] / ˈfrɛʃ mən /

noun

PLURAL

freshmen

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

2. a novice; beginner.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a freshman.

   to outgrow one's freshman attitudes.

2. lacking seniority or experience; junior.

   a freshman senator.

3. required of or suitable for freshmen.

   freshman courses.

4. 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

Roughly one in eight freshmen lack rudimentary high-school math skills, defined as geometry, algebra and algebra 2.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Trojans will welcome the country’s top-rated recruiting class, but how many freshmen could they realistically count on to produce right away?

From Los Angeles Times

When I was a freshman in college at the University of Michigan, during the winter break, I went back to Fort Wayne, Indiana, which is where I’m from.

From Los Angeles Times

The high school freshman appearing at the top of the fourth season slams against the door of adulthood.

From Salon

Sanders rose to fame as a college freshman at Jackson State before transferring to Colorado.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• novice
• rookie
• undergraduate