social studies

American  

noun

1. a course of instruction in an elementary or secondary school comprising such subjects as history, geography, civics, etc.

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social studies British  

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the study of how people live and organize themselves in society, embracing geography, history, economics, and other subjects

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Etymology

Origin of social studies

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

social studies

Public school teachers are trained to teach literacy, history and social studies, not theology, leaving educators to navigate how biblical texts will be presented while serving students from diverse religious backgrounds.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026

Narbé Mansourian — a social studies teacher — had no qualms about separating the players from the politics in the country with the complicated geopolitical — and personal — history.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

Frankl became a friend and mentor to Eger, who taught middle-school social studies in El Paso and later earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Saybrook University.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Amanda Barnett, who co-founded the $21,500-a-year school three years ago, said the holdback program includes college visits and, in place of social studies, “an athletic personal development program” that covers NIL strategy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026

“Hi!” she said, her voice as calm and plain as their social studies teacher.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles