trade school

American  

noun

trade schools plural

1. a high school giving instruction chiefly in the skilled trades.

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trade school British  

noun

1. a school or teaching unit organized by an industry or large company to provide trade training, apprentice education, and similar courses

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• trade schools
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trade school

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trade school

He told ProPublica that he wants to transform lives and guide students to college, trade school or the military.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Prior to the pandemic, "people weren't really talking about going to trade school, vocational schools, stuff like that. It was like: 'Go to college, get your four years.'"

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

Funds in the account may be used for qualified higher-education expenses, including tuition at a college, university, trade school, vocational school or apprenticeship program.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026

More young Americans are turning to trade school to pursue in-demand jobs like plumbing and electrical work but encountering something they didn’t expect: hefty price tags.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

All he needed was a diploma for trade school.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin