school

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/skul/
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A place or organized period of learning, with related uses for groups, traditions and training.
Practice using school in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • She applied to three nursing schools.
  • The village schooled its children in one building.
  • They schooled the horse for racing.
  • The school moved as one.
  • The town has a cooking school.

Similar words

tradition
school day
teach
shoal
schooling
educate
college
coach
movement
discipline

Meanings

Place where children learn

noun
education
neutral
An institution or building where children receive an education.

Examples

  • My son goes to school nearby.
  • The school has a new library.
  • There are three schools in our town.
  • She teaches at a small school.
  • We waited outside the school.

Similar words

educational institution

Education as a life stage

noun
education
neutral
The process or period of receiving education at a school.

Examples

  • She started school at five.
  • Where did you go to school?
  • He left school last year.
  • My children are still in school.
  • She enjoyed school more than her brother.

Similar words

schooling
education

School hours or day

noun
education
neutral
The daily period when children are taught at school.

Examples

  • School starts at nine.
  • I'll see you after school.
  • There is no school on Monday.
  • The children come home when school ends.
  • She was late for school.

Similar words

school day
class time

The school community

noun
people
neutral
All the students and teachers of a school considered as a group.

Examples

  • The whole school gathered in the hall.
  • Our school won the prize.
  • The school celebrated her win.
  • She spoke to the school at assembly.
  • The school cheered the team.

Similar words

school community

Place for learning a skill

noun
training
neutral
An organization or place that teaches a particular subject or practical skill.

Examples

  • She joined a dance school.
  • He runs a driving school.
  • The town has a cooking school.
  • I trained at an art school.
  • The language school offers evening classes.

Similar words

academy
training center

College or university

noun
higher education
informal
In North American English, a college or university, or the time spent studying there.

Examples

  • She went to school in Boston.
  • He's still in school at twenty-two.
  • They chose a school in California.
  • Which school did you graduate from?
  • He worked while he was in school.

Similar words

college
university

University department

noun
higher education
neutral
A division of a college or university that teaches a particular field.

Examples

  • She entered medical school.
  • The law school has a new dean.
  • He teaches in the school of engineering.
  • The business school opened a new building.
  • She applied to three nursing schools.

Similar words

faculty
department

Shared artistic tradition

noun
arts
neutral
A group of artists, writers, or thinkers with a shared style or set of ideas.

Examples

  • The painting belongs to the Dutch school.
  • She studies the Romantic school of poetry.
  • This style came from a Paris school.
  • Several painters followed that school.
  • His work does not fit one school.

Similar words

movement
tradition

Group of fish or sea animals

noun
animals
neutral
A large group of fish or some other sea animals swimming together.

Examples

  • A school of fish passed the boat.
  • We watched a school of dolphins.
  • The school moved as one.
  • A small school swam near the reef.
  • The diver followed the school.

Similar words

shoal

Train behavior or skill

verb
training
formal
To train a person or animal to behave or perform in a particular way.

Examples

  • She schooled herself to stay calm.
  • They schooled the horse for racing.
  • He was schooled in patience.
  • The coach schooled the team in defense.
  • She schooled her voice for the stage.

Similar words

train
discipline
coach

Educate a child

verb
education
formal
To provide a child with formal education.

Examples

  • The children were schooled at home.
  • They schooled their daughter locally.
  • He was schooled with his peers.
  • The village schooled its children in one building.
  • She wanted her son schooled nearby.

Similar words

educate
teach

Etymology

The education senses come through Latin from Greek skholē, originally 'leisure, discussion, lecture-place'. The fish-group sense is from a separate West Germanic source related to shoal.

FAQ

What does school mean most often?

It is a place where children receive education.

Why do we say 'at school' without 'the'?

Without 'the', school can mean the activity or period of being educated, rather than a particular building.

Can school mean a university?

Yes. In North American English it can mean a college or university.

What is a school of fish?

It is a group of fish swimming together.

Can school be a verb?

Yes. To school someone can mean to educate a child or train behavior or skill.

Why are a school for children and a school of fish spelled alike?

The education uses come from a Greek and Latin line; the fish-group use has a different West Germanic origin.

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