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Synonyms

higher education

American  

noun

  1. education beyond high school, specifically that provided by colleges and graduate schools, and professional schools.

higher education British  

noun

  1. education and training at colleges, universities, polytechnics, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of higher education

First recorded in 1865–70

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.

Most of these restrictions concluded with the end of Jewish quotas in U.S. higher education in the 1960s and 1970s.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

"Countries that adequately invest in basic education, higher education, and vocational training see stronger economic resilience and higher capacity for innovation," it said.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

A fierce and prolific interdisciplinary artist, Ayewa is showing no signs of slowing down her creative output while pursuing a career in higher education.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Allowing private lenders “to be the gatekeepers of who gets access to a higher education … that’s very troubling,” said Aissa Canchola Bañez, the policy director at Protect Borrowers.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

In the late 1960s nonwhite Americans clamored for access to higher education, and I became a principal beneficiary of the academy’s response, its programs of affirmative action.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

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.