/ skuːl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
WHERE CHILDREN LEARN
1.
[ C ] 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.
school buildings
2.
[ U ] (used without the or a ) the process of learning in a school; the time during your life when you go to a school :
( BrE )
to start / leave school
( NAmE )
to start / quit school
Where did you go to school?
( BrE )
All my kids are still at school .
( NAmE )
All my kids are still in school .
( NAmE )
to teach school (= teach in a school)
The transition from school to work can be difficult.
3.
[ U ] (used without the or a ) the time during the day when children are working in a school :
Shall I meet you after school today?
School begins at 9.
The kids are at / in school until 3.30.
after-school activities
STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
4.
the school [ sing. ] all the children or students and the teachers in a school :
I had to stand up in front of the whole school.
FOR PARTICULAR SKILL
5.
[ C ] (often in compounds) a place where people go to learn a particular subject or skill :
a drama / language / riding, etc. school
COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY
6.
[ C , U ] ( NAmE , informal ) a college or university; the time that you spend there :
famous schools like Yale and Harvard
Where did you go to school?
—see also graduate school
7.
[ C ] a department of a college or university that teaches a particular subject :
the business / medical / law school
the School of Dentistry
OF WRITERS / ARTISTS
8.
[ C ] 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
OF FISH
9.
[ C ] a large number of fish or other sea animals, swimming together :
a school of dolphins
—compare shoal
HELP NOTE : There are many compounds ending in school . You will find them at their place in the alphabet.
•
IDIOMS
- school(s) of thought
—more at old
■ verb
YOURSELF / ANIMAL
1.
school sb / yourself (in sth) ( formal ) to train sb / yourself / an animal to do sth :
[ vn ]
to school a horse
She had schooled herself in patience.
[ vn to inf ]
I have schooled myself to remain calm under pressure.
CHILD
2.
[ vn ] ( formal ) to educate a child :
She should be schooled with her peers.
••
BRITISH / AMERICAN
at / in school
In BrE somebody who is attending school is at school :
I was at school with her sister.
In NAmE in school is used:
I have a ten-year-old in school.
In school in NAmE can also mean 'attending a university'.
••
GRAMMAR
school
When a school is being referred to as an institution, you do not need to use the :
When do the children finish school?
When you are talking about a particular building, the is used:
I'll meet you outside the school.
Prison , jail , court , and church work in the same way:
Her husband spent three years in prison.
· note at college , hospital
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun senses 1 to 8 and verb 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.