college
Pluralcolleges
- 1A school after high school where people study for a degree. In the US and some other countries, any university.
Like the next step on a ladder of schools after high school.
My sister starts college in the fall after she graduates.
He saved money for years to pay for college.
UsageOften with no 'the': go to college, in college.
Note
- 2A part of a university that teaches one main subject area.
Like one section of a big store that sells just one kind of thing.
She teaches at the college of business downtown.
The college of medicine accepts forty students each year.
UsageIn names, use a capital letter, often with of: the College of Medicine.
Note
- 3A school after high school, not a university, that mostly teaches job skills and gives diplomas.
Like a workshop where you learn a trade before getting a job.
He learned welding at the local college near his home.
The college offers a two-year diploma in practical nursing.
Note
- 4A part of a university that partly runs itself, with its own teachers and library, for students of many subjects.
At Cambridge, each college has its own dining hall and library.
She was accepted into a college at Oxford last year.
Note
- 5A group of people with the same job or purpose who work together, like a group of doctors or church leaders.
Like a team where everyone works toward the same goal.
The college of bishops met to choose a new leader.
Every new surgeon must pass the exams set by the college of surgeons.
UsageMostly in names, like the College of Cardinals.
Note
- 6In the UK, Australia and elsewhere, a school for older children, often a private one, as in many school names.
Like a high school, just called by a different name.
At age twelve, she started at a private college in Sydney.
The college teaches students from age eleven to eighteen.
Note
- 7In the UK, a school for people aged 16 and over that is not a university, including adults learning new skills.
Like the last two years of school before university.
At sixteen, she left school in Leeds and went to college to train as a hairdresser.
He left school at sixteen and enrolled at the local college.
UsageOften with no 'the': go to college, at college.
Note
Less common meanings
- 8A group of people chosen to vote for someone on behalf of others, such as a president.
Like a small team chosen to make the final pick for everyone else.
In India, the president is chosen by an electoral college of lawmakers.
The electoral college votes for the US president every four years.
UsageMostly in electoral college. Later in a text, people may just say the college.
Note
- 9
- 10In Singapore, a school that students go to for two years after secondary school, to get ready for university.
- 11In Chile, a school where students learn their lessons in two languages.
Practice
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Origin
From Latin collēgium, through Old French and Middle French college into English.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- English college derives from Latin collēgium through Old French college and Middle French college. en.wiktionary.org