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Synonyms

secondary school

American  

noun

  1. a high school or a school of corresponding grade, ranking between a primary school and a college or university.


secondary school British  

noun

  1. a school for young people, usually between the ages of 11 and 18

"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

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Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of secondary school

First recorded in 1825–35

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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 executive director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, Mark Reeves, said in an interview, “Hopefully, we can hang on to what we got—some semblance of control and order.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

The incident happened at Ayser Calık Secondary School in the Kahramanmaraş area, according to local media reports.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Their research focused on Gossau Upper Secondary School in the northeastern canton of St. Gallen, which introduced flexible school hours three years ago.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026

Other deceased victims named by the police include Ticaria Lampert, 12, and Ezekiel Schofield, 13, who were both students at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

The next day at work I called my former principals at Tembisa and Alexandra Secondary School and requested letters of recommendation.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

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