schoolmaster
Americannoun
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a man who presides over or teaches in a school.
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anything that teaches or directs.
Life can be a harsh schoolmaster.
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a snapper, Lutjanus apodus, a food fish found in Florida, the West Indies, etc.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a man who teaches in or runs a school
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a person or thing that acts as an instructor
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a food fish, Lutjanus apodus, of the warm waters of the Caribbean and Atlantic: family Lutjanidae (snappers)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of schoolmaster
First recorded in 1175–1225, schoolmaster is from the Middle English word scolemaister. See school 1, master
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.
The Post likened him to Ichabod Crane, the fictional schoolmaster in the Washington Irving short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
Her mother was born the daughter of a Methodist schoolmaster but was orphaned and taken in by a Muslim man who prayed five times a day.
From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2023
Dr. Farmer began his work in the Haitian village of Cange, where he met his future wife, Didi Bertrand, the daughter of a local schoolmaster.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 22, 2022
Mr Fabius, with the air of a firm but respected schoolmaster, was able to encourage and cajole reluctant countries towards a historic compromise.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2021
Ma talked to the schoolmaster, a Mr. Kennel, who nodded through everything Ma said without a word of his own.
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
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.
