What does "school" mean?
An institution dedicated to teaching and learning; an educational institution.
School
/skuːl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An institution dedicated to teaching and learning; an educational institution.
- Grammar: school is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: academia, academic, academic unit, academy.
- Useful contrasts: unschooled, home, ignorance.
- Usage evidence: Back in high school, I got up at 6 a.m. every morning.
How to use "school"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "school" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "school" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "school" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "school" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "school" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "academia" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "school", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An institution dedicated to teaching and learning; an educational institution. Canada, India, US, countable, uncountable
"Our children attend a public school in our neighborhood."
- 2 A group of fish or a group of marine mammals such as porpoises, dolphins, or whales. collective
"The divers encountered a huge school of mackerel."
- 3 a building where young people receive education wordnet
- 4 An educational institution providing primary and secondary education, prior to tertiary education (college or university). British, countable, uncountable
"One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools[…]as children, teachers or school buildings become the targets of attacks. Parents fear sending their children to school. Girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence."
- 5 A multitude.
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 the process of being formally educated at a school wordnet
- 7 At Eton College, a period or session of teaching. UK, countable, uncountable
"Divinity, history and geography are studied for two schools per week."
- 8 a large group of fish wordnet
- 9 Within a larger educational institution, an organizational unit, such as a department or institute, which is dedicated to a specific subject area. countable, uncountable
"We are enrolled in the same university, but I attend the School of Economics and my brother is in the School of Music."
- 10 a body of creative artists or writers or thinkers linked by a similar style or by similar teachers wordnet
- 11 An art movement, a community of artists. countable, uncountable
"The Barbizon school of painters were part of an art movement towards Realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic movement of the time."
- 12 an educational institution wordnet
- 13 The followers of a particular doctrine; a particular way of thinking or particular doctrine; a school of thought. countable, uncountable
"These economists belong to the monetarist school."
- 14 an educational institution's faculty and students wordnet
- 15 The time during which classes are attended or in session in an educational institution. countable, uncountable
"I’ll see you after school."
- 16 the period of instruction in a school; the time period when school is in session wordnet
- 17 The room or hall in English universities where the examinations for degrees and honours are held. countable, uncountable
- 18 The canons, precepts, or body of opinion or practice, sanctioned by the authority of a particular class or age. countable, uncountable
"He was a gentleman of the old school."
- 19 An establishment offering specialized instruction, as for driving, cooking, typing, coding, etc. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To educate, teach, or train (often, but not necessarily, in a school). transitive
"Many future prime ministers were schooled in Eton."
- 2 To form into, or travel in, a school. intransitive
- 3 swim in or form a large group of fish wordnet
- 4 To defeat emphatically, to teach an opponent a harsh lesson. transitive
"A blind law graduate who put the National Conference of Bar Examiners to the test got schooled in federal court."
- 5 educate in or as if in a school wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To control, or compose, one’s expression. transitive
"She took care to school her expression, not giving away any of her feelings."
- 7 teach or refine to be discriminative in taste or judgment wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Back in high school, I got up at 6 a.m. every morning."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "school"?
Common synonyms include: academia, academic, academic unit, academy, adherents, advance.
How do you use "school" in a sentence?
Back in high school, I got up at 6 a.m. every morning.
How do you pronounce "school"?
Pronounced /skuːl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English scole, from Old English scōl (“place of education”), from Proto-West Germanic *skōlu, from Late Latin schola, scola (“learned discussion or dissertation, lecture, school”), from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ, “spare time, leisure”), from Proto-Indo-European *seǵʰ- (“to hold, have, possess”). Doublet of schola and shul. Compare Old Frisian skūle, schūle (“school”) (West Frisian skoalle, Saterland Frisian Skoule), Dutch school (“school”), German Low German School (“school”), Old High German scuola (“school”), German Schule (“school”), Old Norse skóli (“school”). Influenced in some senses by Middle English schole (“group of persons, host, company”), from Middle Dutch scole (“multitude, troop, band”). See school (“group”). Related also to Old High German sigi (German Sieg, “victory”), Old English siġe, sigor (“victory”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English scole, schole (“group of persons, multitude, host, school of fish”), from Middle Dutch scole (“multitude, troop of people, swarm of animals”), from Old Dutch *scola, *skola (“troop, multitude”), from Frankish *skolu, from Proto-Germanic *skulō (“crowd”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷel- (“crowd, people”). Cognate with Middle Low German schōle (“multitude, troop”), Old English scolu (“troop or band of people, host, multitude, school of fish”). Doublet of shoal.