Varsity
//ˈvɑː.sɪ.ti// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 university attributive, countable, often, uncountable
"[…] and then to lyrically proclaim that, not only was it a way they had in the Varsity to drive dull care away, but that the same practice was also pursued in the army and navy for the attainment of a similar end."
- 2 a team representing a college or university wordnet
- 3 The principal sports team representing an institution (usually a high school, college, or university.) US, countable, uncountable
"There were sixteen of them in all, for the most part upper classmen who had failed to make the varsity the year before, with a sprinkling of sophomores and two freshmen."
- 4 a British abbreviation of ‘university’; usually refers to Oxford University or Cambridge University wordnet
Example
More examples"He is on the varsity in tennis and in debating."
Etymology
First attested in the mid 17th century. Clipping of univarsity, reflecting an archaic pronunciation of university.
Related phrases
More for "varsity"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.