Ivy League

American  

noun

1. a group of colleges and universities in the northeastern U.S., consisting of Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania, and Brown, having a reputation for high scholastic achievement and social prestige.

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Ivy League colleges or their students and graduates.

Ivy League British  

noun

1. 1. a group of eight universities (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth College, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale) that have similar academic and social prestige in the US to Oxford and Cambridge in Britain

   2. ( as modifier )

      an Ivy-League education

---

Ivy League Cultural  

1. A group of eight old, distinguished colleges and universities in the East, known for their ivy-covered brick buildings. The members of the Ivy League are Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale Universities; Dartmouth College; and the University of Pennsylvania.

---

Other Word Forms

• Ivy Leaguer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Ivy League

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Ivy League

On the Ivy League campus, emotions are running high and students are demanding answers from the university’s administration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The goal isn’t to figure out how to dominate an Ivy League opponent, but to learn how to survive in the worst conditions possible, when games seem beyond hope.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The incident, as alleged in a graphic lawsuit filed last month, has drawn accusations that the Ivy League institution in New York state failed to properly punish the men involved.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

The incident was detailed in a graphic lawsuit filed last month, drawing harsh backlash against the Ivy League institution and New York prosecutors for not filing any criminal charges against the accused perpetrators.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Like me, she had two Ivy League degrees and routinely sat at tables where nobody looked like her.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama