varsity
Americannoun
-
any first-string team, especially in sports, that represents a school, college, university, or the like.
He is on the varsity in tennis and in debating.
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Chiefly British Informal. university.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of varsity
1840–50; compare versity university, in 17th century; pronunciation probably preserves historical outcome of Middle English ĕr, as in varmint
Compare meaning
How does varsity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The word varsity identifies the starting team in a sport at a college or university. You have to be good to make varsity. At many schools, sports are a big deal. Thousands of people flock to college football and basketball games, plus other sports. The members of the starting team are varsity players. Varsity players are the best players: that’s why they start, and they usually finish the game too. It can take a while for a player to make varsity status.
Vocabulary lists containing varsity
Language Gone Wrong: Words That Started Out as Errors
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"High School Football"
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The Crossover
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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.
One varsity player took his frustrations to interscholastic authorities.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026
He didn’t start on varsity until his junior year.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026
Gamble is not the first female to coach varsity football at Hawthorne.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
I believed I was forging a path for her, but she saw my varsity moves as inconsiderate and selfish.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
But at the beginning of my high school fencing career, I didn’t get to fence all that much, because only the varsity team actually got to compete.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
