school
cinema
school
/skuːl/
where children learn
1 countable a place where children go to be educated My brother and I went to the same school.
(formal) Which school do they attend?
I'm going to the school today to talk to Kim's teacher.
We need more money for roads, hospitals and schools.
The charity runs projects at local schools and youth organizations.
a girls'/boys' school
school for somebody a school for girls aged 11–16
school buildings
The kids get the school bus every morning.
SEE ALSO church school, community school, day school, elementary school, faith school, first school, free school, grade school, high school, lower school, night school, nursery school, preparatory school, primary school, private school, Rugby School, secondary school, state school Collocations
adjective
verb + school
school + noun
preposition
after school
at (a/the) school
in (a/the) school…
phrases
be on the way home from school
get ready for school
get out of school…
2 uncountable (used without the or a) the process of learning in a school; the time during your life when you go to a school (British English) to start/leave school
(North American English) to start/quit school
Where did you go to school?
(British English) at school All my kids are still at school.
Can you remember your first day at school?
(North American English) in school All my kids are still in school.
(North American English) to teach school (= teach in a school)
The transition from school to work can be difficult.
The school year was nearly over.
He was expelled from school for verbally abusing his teacher.
She didn't do very well at school.
In Britain children start school when they are five.
He dropped out of school after the ninth grade.
3 uncountable (used without the or a) the time during the day when children are working in a school School begins at 9.
after school Shall I meet you after school today?
at/in school The kids are at/in school until 3.30.
off school I'm off school this week.
(especially British English) His mum kept him off school for two weeks when he was ill.
out of school (North American English) His mom kept him out of school for two weeks when he was sick.
My parents let me stay home from school yesterday.
after-school activities
The next day was Monday, a school day.
students and teachers
4 the school singular all the children or students and the teachers in a school I had to stand up in front of the whole school.
for particular skill
a drama/language/riding school
He runs a karate school in San Jose, California.
college/university
6 countable, uncountable (North American English, informal) a college or university; the time that you spend there famous schools like Yale and Harvard
Where did you go to school?
the business/law/medical school
school of something the School of Dentistry
He was determined to get into medical school.
of writers/artists
8 countable a group of writers, artists, etc. whose style of work or opinions have been influenced by the same person or ideas the Dutch school of painting
of fish
9 countable a large number of fish or other sea animals, swimming together a school of dolphins
Idioms
an old-fashioned person who likes to do things as they were done in the past
SEE ALSO old school
a way of thinking that a number of people share
There are two schools of thought about how this illness should be treated.
He belongs to the school of thought that says that competition can be very stimulating for children.
(informal) very fashionable
The assistants look like they're too cool for school.
school
/skuːl/
(formal)
yourself/animal
1 to train somebody/yourself/an animal to do something
school somebody/something/yourself (in something) to school a horse
She had schooled herself in patience.
school somebody/something/yourself to do something I have schooled myself to remain calm under pressure.
He was well schooled in hiding his emotions.
child
2 school somebody to educate a child
She should be schooled with her peers.
They schooled the children of the working classes.
Word Origin
noun senses 1 to 8 Old English scōl, scolu, via Latin from Greek skholē ‘leisure, philosophy, lecture-place’, reinforced in Middle English by Old French escole. noun sense 9 late Middle English: from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schōle, of West Germanic origin; related to Old English scolu ‘troop’. Compare with shoal sense (1).