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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.

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

From BBC

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

From BBC

It argues the inclusion money will equate to a part-time teaching assistant for the average primary school, and two teaching assistants for the average secondary.

From BBC

A pledge to provide free school breakfasts and meals to every primary school pupil in Scotland is now limited to P1-P5 - with a targeted offering for older pupils based on need.

From BBC

"Tilly started at a mainstream primary school but she was struggling," she says.

From BBC

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.