noun
Uncommon
varsity
VAH-sih-tee
Varsity (noun) means the main sports team representing a school, college, or university, as opposed to junior or reserve teams. Example: “She made the varsity basketball team as a sophomore.”
noun
1
The main sports team representing a school, college, or university, as opposed to junior or reserve teams.
"A small Pennsylvania university has only one varsity program: e-sports. Is this the future of college athletics?"
— Luke Winkie, Why Colleges Are Betting Big on Video Games (2019)
"She made the varsity basketball team as a sophomore."
How to use varsity
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishVarsity refers to a school's top-level, main sports team.
When to use it
Mainly used in American English school and college sports; British English rarely uses this term.
Common pairings
varsity team
varsity football
make varsity
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Word forms
- Plural
- varsities
Fill the gap
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She made the _____ basketball team as a sophomore.
Etymology
A clipped, altered form of "university," reflecting an old British pronunciation. First recorded in the mid-1600s.
Class of 1600
varsity joined the language around 1600.
See the full Class of 1600 →
Synonyms
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first team
top team
Related words
Rhymes for varsity
See all rhymes for varsity →Frequently asked questions
What does “varsity” mean?
The word “varsity” means the main sports team representing a school, college, or university, as opposed to junior or reserve teams. In plain terms, varsity refers to a school's top-level, main sports team.
How do you pronounce “varsity”?
“Varsity” is pronounced VAH-sih-tee (/ˈvɑɹ.sɪ.ti/ in IPA).
How do you use “varsity” in a sentence?
Here is “varsity” used in a sentence: “She made the varsity basketball team as a sophomore.”
What part of speech is “varsity”?
“Varsity” is a noun.
Where does the word “varsity” come from?
The word “varsity” dates back to around 1600. A clipped, altered form of "university," reflecting an old British pronunciation. First recorded in the mid-1600s.
Is “varsity” a common word?
“Varsity” is an uncommon word in modern English.
What is the difference between varsity and junior varsity?
Varsity refers to the top-level, main sports team representing a school or university, while junior varsity (JV) is a secondary or developmental squad below it. Varsity teams typically compete against other schools' top teams and represent the highest standard of play at that institution.
Is varsity used outside of school sports?
Varsity is almost always used in the context of school, college, or university athletics. It occasionally appears in casual speech to mean the top-tier or most serious version of something, but that usage is informal and borrowed from the sports sense.
Is varsity American or British English?
Varsity is primarily American English, where it describes a school or college's main sports team. In British English the word originally referred to university sports (short for 'university') but is now much less common there than in the United States.
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