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Synonyms

primary school

American  

noun

  1. a school usually covering the first three or four years of elementary school and sometimes kindergarten.

  2. elementary school.

primary school British  

noun

  1. (in Britain) a school for children below the age of 11. It is usually divided into an infant and a junior section

  2. (in the US and Canada) a school equivalent to the first three or four grades of elementary school, sometimes including a kindergarten

"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 primary school

First recorded in 1795–1805

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.

Caitriona MacMillan, a former primary school teacher, died in Oakeshott House in 2023 after spending the final years of her life there.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

He won a scholarship to Eton College after attending a state primary school, and studied mathematics at Pembroke College, Oxford.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The Hive was first published in 2013 and tells the story of a group of mothers at a primary school.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

It stressed that council officers were "very aware" that communities such as Fountainhall were often "heavily invested" in the long-term viability of their primary school.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

His daughter, in her primary school uniform, was sitting across the table from him.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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.