prep school
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of prep school
First recorded in 1890–95
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 said Deng was transforming Tessellations into a typical prep school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
In June, his twin sons transferred to his alma mater from a Detroit prep school with hopes of making their papa proud and lifting the town’s spirit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2026
Foster attended a French-language prep school in Los Angeles as a child, meaning she attained fluency with much more ease and access than many Americans are afforded.
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2026
When he was a child, his aunt and uncle accidentally enrolled him in a Baptist boarding school in Kentucky, thinking it was a prestigious prep school.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2025
“They were at prep school together. At Saint Jerome’s in Pennsylvania.”
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
