dean's list

American  

noun

• dean's lists
  plural

1. a list of students of high scholastic standing, compiled by a college or university usually at the end of each semester or academic year.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dean's lists
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dean's list

First recorded in 1925–30

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dean's list

Good made the dean’s list that year, according to a school post.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026

He consistently made the dean’s list at the College of Business at Oregon State University in Corvallis and graduated third in his class in 1965.

From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2023

For the season, Bernett, a dean’s list student from McDonald, Pennsylvania, majoring in biology, was batting .336 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2022

The grandson of Greek Cypriot immigrants, Pavlou was an academic star — he’d made the dean’s list twice and won a poetry prize while pursuing a triple major in philosophy, history and English literature.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2020

When she made the dean’s list, he celebrated.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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