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Synonyms

middle school

American  

noun

  1. a school intermediate between elementary school and high school, usually encompassing grades five or six through eight.

middle school British  

noun

  1. (in England and Wales) a school for children aged between 8 or 9 and 12 or 13 Compare first school

"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 middle school

First recorded in 1830–40

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.

He was part of a band in middle school that performed songs he wrote, while a budding songwriting career began in his university years.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

“In middle school, I just observed around me this mental health crisis within my generation,” Hall said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

There was a year in middle school when I was sick often enough that the doctor’s office felt a bit like a second address.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

I was in middle school or early high school when this show made its debut, and even though I wasn’t the target audience, its cultural impact was impossible to miss.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

We’ve got the hottest middle school activity in the country right now, and everybody’s acting like this is a funeral!

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

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.