definitions

public school

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noun

(in the U.S.) a school that is maintained at public expense for the education of the children of a community or district and that constitutes a part of a system of free public education commonly including primary and secondary schools.
(in England) any of a number of endowed secondary boarding schools that prepare students chiefly for the universities or for public service.

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Nearby words

public prosecutor, public record office, public relations, public room, public sale, public school, public sector, public servant, public service, public speaking, public spending

Origin of public school

First recorded in 1570–80

Related forms

pub·lic-school, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for public school

British Dictionary definitions for public school

public school

noun

(in England and Wales) a private independent fee-paying secondary school
(in the US) any school that is part of a free local educational system
in certin Canadian provinces, a public elementray school as distinguished from a separate school
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