top definitions
quizzes
related content
examples
explore dictionary
british
idioms and phrases

school

¹

[ skool ]

/ skul /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR school ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an institution where instruction is given, especially to persons under college age: The children are at school.

an institution for instruction in a particular skill or field.

a college or university.

a regular course of meetings of a teacher or teachers and students for instruction; program of instruction: summer school.

a session of such a course: no school today; to be kept after school.

the activity or process of learning under instruction, especially at a school for the young: As a child, I never liked school.

one's formal education: They plan to be married when he finishes school.

a building housing a school.

the body of students, or students and teachers, belonging to an educational institution: The entire school rose when the principal entered the auditorium.

a building, room, etc., in a university, set apart for the use of one of the faculties or for some particular purpose: the school of agriculture.

a particular faculty or department of a university having the right to recommend candidates for degrees, and usually beginning its program of instruction after the student has completed general education: medical school.

any place, situation, etc., tending to teach anything.

the body of pupils or followers of a master, system, method, etc.: the Platonic school of philosophy.

Art.

a group of artists, as painters, writers, or musicians, whose works reflect a common conceptual, regional, or personal influence: the modern school; the Florentine school.
the art and artists of a geographical location considered independently of stylistic similarity: the French school.

any group of persons having common attitudes or beliefs.

Military, Navy. parts of close-order drill applying to the individual (school of the soldier), the squad (school of the squad), or the like.

Australian and New Zealand Informal. a group of people gathered together, especially for gambling or drinking.

schools, Archaic. the faculties of a university.

Obsolete. the schoolmen in a medieval university.

adjective

of or connected with a school or schools.

Obsolete. of the schoolmen.

verb (used with object)

to educate in or as if in a school; teach; train.

Archaic. to reprimand.

VIDEO FOR SCHOOL

WATCH NOW: Questions To Shake Students Out Of The Back-To-School Blues

This teacher gets real tired of saying the same words over and over. So, she came up with these helpful lists of synonyms to encourage just a little amount of participation during that time of year she calls the back-to-school blues.

MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM

QUIZZES

CAN YOU FEEL THE WEAL WITH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ?

Did you collect all of last week’s words, but eftsoons forget what they mean? Don’t worry, we’re here to jog your memory. See how many words from the week of May 18 to 24 you can get right!

Question 1 of 7

weal

well-being, prosperity, or happiness.

the intervening time.

a somewhat prolonged, sharp, shrill cry, as of pain, fear, or surprise.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of school

¹

before 900; Middle English scole (noun), Old English scōl < Latin schola < Greek scholḗ leisure employed in learning

OTHER WORDS FROM school

school·a·ble, adjectiveschool·less, adjectiveschool·like, adjective

Words nearby school

scholiast, scholium, schollander, schomburg, schongauer, school, school age, school attendance officer, school board, school bus, school certificate

Definition for school (2 of 2)

school²

[ skool ]

/ skul /

noun

a large number of fish, porpoises, whales, or the like, feeding or migrating together.

verb (used without object)

to form into, or go in, a school, as fish.

Origin of school

²

1350–1400; Middle English schol(e) < Dutch school; cognate with Old English scolu troop; see shoal²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for school

One was a Quaker school, whose name he can no longer recall, in upstate New York.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He used to drive her to school once he came home from the Marines.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Ramos would help set the tone of the day when he greeted the arriving students outside the school.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The NYPD remained his ultimate goal as he went to work as a carrier for Airborne Express/DHL and then as a school safety officer.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Many times, victims drop out of school, while their alleged attackers graduate.
Jameis Winston Cleared of Rape Like Every Other College Sports Star|Robert Silverman|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Owing to circumstances, the eldest lad had to be sent to school at an early age.
The Power of Womanhood, or Mothers and Sons|Ellice Hopkins
When school is over, out you go with a rush, into the open air.
The Child's Day|Woods Hutchinson
Michael's last week at school was a curiously unreal experience.
Sinister Street, vol. 1|Compton Mackenzie
The only school which was exceptionally interesting was the School of Languages.
Changing China|William Gascoyne-Cecil
It is curious to find that in 1821 the function of the hospital as a school for students of medicine was something of a novelty.
Springtime and Other Essays|Francis Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for school (1 of 2)

school¹

/ (skuːl) /

noun

an institution or building at which children and young people usually under 19 receive education
(as modifier)school bus; school day
(in combination)schoolroom; schoolwork

any educational institution or building

a faculty, institution, or department specializing in a particular subjecta law school

the staff and pupils of a school

the period of instruction in a school or one session of thishe stayed after school to do extra work

meetings held occasionally for members of a profession, etc

a place or sphere of activity that instructsthe school of hard knocks

a body of people or pupils adhering to a certain set of principles, doctrines, or methods

a group of artists, writers, etc, linked by the same style, teachers, or aimsthe Venetian school of painting

a style of lifea gentleman of the old school

informal a group assembled for a common purpose, esp gambling or drinking

verb (tr)

to train or educate in or as in a school

to discipline or control

an archaic word for reprimand

Word Origin for school

Old English scōl, from Latin schola school, from Greek skholē leisure spent in the pursuit of knowledge

British Dictionary definitions for school (2 of 2)

school²

/ (skuːl) /

noun

a group of porpoises or similar aquatic animals that swim together

verb

(intr) to form such a group

Word Origin for school

Old English scolu shoal ²

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

Idioms and Phrases with school

school

In addition to the idiom beginning with school

school of hard knocks

also see:

tell tales (out of school)

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Emoji Challenge! Test Yourself!