primary school
Americannoun
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primary schools
plural
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a school usually covering the first three or four years of elementary school and sometimes kindergarten.
noun
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(in Britain) a school for children below the age of 11. It is usually divided into an infant and a junior section
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(in the US and Canada) a school equivalent to the first three or four grades of elementary school, sometimes including a kindergarten
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
With his eldest nearing the end of her time in primary school -- and clandestine courses in their northern city costing more than half his salary -- he sees no option but to leave.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
"My daughter and her classmates were in a very bad mood" on the last day of primary school.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
The eggs were laid between 30 April and 6 May and, once the chicks hatched in June, a local primary school helped name them Ash, Bowness Bobbi and Beau.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The Ugo Foscolo primary school is no exception.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Well, that was in primary school, a long time ago— How did you know?”
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
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.
