seminar

American  

[sem-uh-nahr] / ˈsɛm əˌnɑr /

noun

seminars plural

1. a small group of students, as in a university, engaged in advanced study and original research under a member of the faculty and meeting regularly to exchange information and hold discussions.

2. the gathering place of such a group.

3. a meeting of such a group.

4. a course or subject of study for advanced graduate students.

5. any meeting for exchanging information and holding discussions.

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seminar British  

/ ˈsɛmɪˌnɑː /

noun

1. a small group of students meeting regularly under the guidance of a tutor, professor, etc, to exchange information, discuss theories, etc

2. one such meeting or the place in which it is held

3. a higher course for postgraduates

4. any group or meeting for holding discussions or exchanging information

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• seminars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of seminar

1885–90, < German < Latin sēminārium seminary

Explanation

A seminar means a class or meeting, but it carries with it extra weight. An educational seminar indicates a small, advanced study, while a meeting labeled as such means an intense exchange of ideas. The Latin seminarium originally referred to a plant nursery, a place of great growth. From this came the German seminar, referring to a formal educational group led by a professor. While university seminars are most frequently small-group studies of a particular issue, the word is also applied to large lectures and commercial pitches. Like the seminar you attended on how to get rich by selling carrot peelers to your neighbors.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

seminar seminars

Schiller attends an informational seminar by a broker for Medicare Advantage plans and decides, unhelpfully, that they are neither “a solution or a problem.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Long-term unemployed people total 24 million, including 13 million who are 16-to-24-years-old, which hurts social stability, he said in an online seminar Saturday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

You could hire a financial adviser to give all of you a seminar about managing money, or you could pay for counseling for your brother and nephew.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026

At a Dr. Jack seminar held in a furniture store, Cheadle’s unrecognizable cameo competes with kids jumping on a couch and a spasmodic massage chair pummeling Corvette’s face.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

She organized an on-site seminar for career counselors at Hampton Institute so that they might better steer their students into job opportunities at Langley.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Det Ch Insp Rob Burns, who worked on the investigation, said he would then utilise luxury hotels and conference suits to hold seminars that were "very professional".

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

This study from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners says that roughly 40% of people who attend seminars actually do let their guard down and buy a product.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

Monika Müller, a financial psychologist and coach based outside of Frankfurt, hosts seminars for traders and financial advisers to help them get more comfortable with taking risks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

Also, a 2021 study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research documented hostile environments in economics seminars, with female presenters experiencing more interruptions and encountering more patronizing behavior.

From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026

But in seminars they would come and sit by me.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Related Words

• convention
• discussion
• forum
• group discussion
• meeting
• round table
• symposium
• workshop