freshman
FREHSH-muhn
Freshman (noun) means a student in their first year at a high school, college, or university. Example: “Every freshman must attend the welcome talk in the main hall.”
noun
1
A student in their first year at a high school, college, or university.
"Every freshman must attend the welcome talk in the main hall."
"The freshman joined three clubs during her very first week."
"As a country, we now enter what the seven freshmen called “unchartered waters”, with an unprecedented political and constitutional crisis looming on the horizon."
— Geoffrey Kabaservice, Impeach Trump? The United States is now in uncharted waters (2019)
"At the time I was a wide-eyed freshman, but I was soon to grow jaded and cynical."
"As a freshman, she was still finding her way around campus."
2
Someone new and inexperienced in any field.
"I felt like a freshman at my new job, asking questions all day."
"The freshman actor was nervous on his first night on stage."
"He was a freshman senator with big ambitions."
How to use freshman
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA first-year student, or more broadly, anyone new to a role or institution.
UK vs US
Mainly American English; British English tends to use "fresher" for first-year university students.
Common pairings
freshman year
freshman class
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Word forms
- Plural
- freshmen
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Every _____ must attend the welcome talk in the main hall.
Etymology
A compound of fresh and man, originally referring to a newcomer.
Synonyms
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Frequently asked questions
What does “freshman” mean?
The word “freshman” means a student in their first year at a high school, college, or university. In plain terms, a first-year student, or more broadly, anyone new to a role or institution.
How do you pronounce “freshman”?
“Freshman” is pronounced FREHSH-muhn (/ˈfɹɛʃ.mən/ in IPA).
How do you use “freshman” in a sentence?
Here is “freshman” used in a sentence: “As a freshman, she was still finding her way around campus.”
What is another word for “freshman”?
Words with a similar meaning to “freshman” include fresher, frosh, freshie, grade nine student, grade 9 student and grade-niner.
What part of speech is “freshman”?
“Freshman” is a noun.
Is “freshman” a common word?
“Freshman” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “freshman” have?
“Freshman” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a student in their first year at a high school, college, or university.
What is the difference between a freshman and a sophomore?
In American high schools and universities, a freshman is a student in their first year, while a sophomore is a student in their second year. The sequence continues with junior for the third year and senior for the fourth.
Can you call a girl a freshman?
Yes. Freshman is used for students of any gender, so a female first-year student is still called a freshman. Many schools now prefer the neutral term 'first-year student', but freshman remains standard for everyone.
What is the plural of freshman?
The plural of freshman is freshmen, following the same pattern as man and men. So you would write 'one freshman' but 'three hundred freshmen'.
Do British universities use the word freshman?
Not usually. In the UK, new university students are called freshers or first-years, and the opening weeks of term are known as freshers' week. Freshman is chiefly the American term, though it also appears in the extended sense of anyone new to a field, as in 'a freshman senator'.
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