preparatory school
Americannoun
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a private or parochial secondary school, especially one boarding its students and providing a college-preparatory education.
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British. a private elementary school, especially one preparing its students for public school.
noun
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(in Britain) a private school, usually single-sex and for children between the ages of 6 and 13, generally preparing pupils for public school
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(in the US) a private secondary school preparing pupils for college
Etymology
Origin of preparatory school
First recorded in 1815–25
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 played soccer and went to Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School, a Catholic preparatory school in Arlington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
He also immersed himself in poetry while attending the nearby Sanford preparatory school, where he met Richard Meyers, a fellow student and budding punk rocker who became known as Richard Hell.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 30, 2023
The accident occurred Thursday as the Brunswick school, a college preparatory school for boys in Greenwich, played St. Luke’s School, a private co-educational school from New Canaan.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 7, 2022
The woman, referred to as Jane to protect her anonymity, attended the Moray school and its preparatory school Aberlour House from 1979.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2021
“I am sure you have heard of Hackett, the preparatory school for boys,” he said.
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.
