Phi Beta Kappa
Americannoun
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a national honor society, founded in 1776, whose members are chosen, for lifetime membership, usually from among college undergraduates of high academic distinction.
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a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
noun
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a national honorary society, founded in 1776, membership of which is based on high academic ability
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a member of this society
Etymology
Origin of Phi Beta Kappa
from the initials of the Greek motto philosophia biou kubernētēs philosophy the guide of life
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 graduated from The College of William and Mary, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026
He grew up here, was valedictorian at Jefferson High School and a Phi Beta Kappa political science student at UCLA.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2023
She became a Swiss citizen at age 14 and was a Phi Beta Kappa when she graduated from Stanford with a degree in political science.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 7, 2023
The Oregonian newspaper also reported that he never received Phi Beta Kappa honors, as he claimed in the same voters’ guide.
From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2022
He straightened his tie and took his Phi Beta Kappa key from his vest pocket and began to twirl it on its lanyard, as he often did on such occasions.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
