high school
Americannoun
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high schools
plural
noun
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another term for grammar school
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a secondary school from grade 7 to grade 12
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a secondary school, the grades covered depending on the province
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of high school
First recorded in 1815–25
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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.
Gillis is a former offensive lineman from central Pennsylvania who was recruited out of his Catholic high school to play football at West Point—where he immediately realized he didn’t belong and left.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Mello appeared as the snobby high school student Chandler in the 1999 romantic hit, which also featured Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Does “Don’t Say Good Luck” skirt around the grim realities of cancer as cavalierly as it paints a Pinterest mood-board vision of high school?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
“I have so much knowledge and things built up that I just want to give to these kids,” Derek Carr said of his interest in coaching in high school and college.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
I’d be real glad to see her back in town for high school.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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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.