school
noun /skuːl/
/skuːl/
Idioms - [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 autistic children
- school buildings
- The kids get the school bus every morning.
Grammar Point schoolschoolsee 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- When a school is being referred to as an institution, you do not need to use the:
- When do the children finish school?
- I’ll meet you outside the school.
- Her husband spent three years in prison.
Extra ExamplesTopics Buildingsa1- It is a failing school with some of the worst results in the city.
- Their son's at the school near the station.
- the cleverest child in the school
- I'll meet you outside the school.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- nursery
- comprehensive
- first
- …
- attend
- go to
- enter
- …
- child
- kid
- boy
- …
- after school
- at (a/the) school
- in (a/the) school
- …
- be on the way home from school
- get ready for school
- get out of school
- …
- [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 you 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.
British/American at / in schoolat / in school- In British English somebody who is attending school is at school:
- I was at school with her sister.
- I have a ten-year-old in school.
Collocations EducationEducationLearning- acquire/get/lack (an) education/training/(British English) (some) qualifications
- receive/provide somebody with training/tuition
- develop/design/plan a curriculum/(especially British English) course/(North American English) program/syllabus
- give/go to/attend a class/lesson/lecture/seminar
- hold/run/conduct a class/seminar/workshop
- sign up for/take a course/classes/lessons
- go to/start preschool/kindergarten/nursery school
- be in the first, second, etc. (North American English) grade/(especially British English) year (at school)
- study/take/drop history/chemistry/German, etc.
- (British English) leave/finish/drop out of/ (North American English) quit school
- (North American English) graduate high school/college
- be the victim/target of bullying
- (British English) play truant from/ (both British English, informal) bunk off/skive off school (= not go to school when you should)
- (both especially North American English) skip/cut class/school
- (British English) cheat in/(North American English) cheat on an exam/a test
- get/be given a detention (for doing something)
- be expelled from/be suspended from school
- do your homework/(British English) revision/a project on something
- work on/write/do/submit an essay/a dissertation/a thesis/an assignment/(North American English) a paper
- finish/complete your dissertation/thesis/studies/coursework
- hand in/ (North American English) turn in your homework/essay/assignment/paper
- study/prepare/ (British English) revise/ (North American English) review/ (North American English, informal) cram for a test/an exam
- take/ (both British English) do/sit a test/an exam
- (especially British English) mark/ (especially North American English) grade homework/a test
- (British English) do well in/ (North American English) do well on/ (informal, especially North American English) ace a test/an exam
- pass/fail/ (informal, especially North American English) flunk a test/an exam/a class/a course/a subject
- apply to/get into/go to/start college/(British English) university
- leave/graduate from law school/college/(British English) university (with a degree in computer science)
- study for/take/ (British English) do/complete a law degree/a degree in physics
- (both North American English) major/minor in biology/philosophy
- earn/receive/be awarded/get/have/hold a master’s degree/a bachelor’s degree/a PhD in economics
- 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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- nursery
- comprehensive
- first
- …
- attend
- go to
- enter
- …
- child
- kid
- boy
- …
- after school
- at (a/the) school
- in (a/the) school
- …
- be on the way home from school
- get ready for school
- get out of school
- …
- [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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- nursery
- comprehensive
- first
- …
- attend
- go to
- enter
- …
- child
- kid
- boy
- …
- after school
- at (a/the) school
- in (a/the) school
- …
- be on the way home from school
- get ready for school
- get out of school
- …
- 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.
- [countable, uncountable] (often in compounds) a place where people go to learn a particular subject or skill
- a drama/language/riding school
- He runs a karate school in San Jose, California.
- She wants to go to art school.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- nursery
- comprehensive
- first
- …
- attend
- go to
- enter
- …
- child
- kid
- boy
- …
- after school
- at (a/the) school
- in (a/the) school
- …
- be on the way home from school
- get ready for school
- get out of school
- …
- [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?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- nursery
- comprehensive
- first
- …
- attend
- go to
- enter
- …
- child
- kid
- boy
- …
- after school
- at (a/the) school
- in (a/the) school
- …
- be on the way home from school
- get ready for school
- get out of school
- …
- [countable, uncountable] a department of a college or university that teaches a particular subject
- the business/law/medical school
- school of something the School of Dentistry
- He was determined to get into medical school.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- nursery
- comprehensive
- first
- …
- attend
- go to
- enter
- …
- child
- kid
- boy
- …
- after school
- at (a/the) school
- in (a/the) school
- …
- be on the way home from school
- get ready for school
- get out of school
- …
- [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
- [countable] a large number of fish or other sea animals, swimming together
- a school of dolphins
see also old school
where children learn
students and teachers
for particular skill
college/university
of writers/artists
of fish
Word Originnoun 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).
Idioms
one of the old school
- an old-fashioned person who likes to do things as they were done in the past see also old school
school(s) of thought
- 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.
too cool for school
- (informal) very fashionable
- The assistants look like they're too cool for school.