school
school
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "school" is /skuːl/.
/skuːl/
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: school
Plural Noun: schools
Verb (base form): school
Verb (third-person singular present): schools
Verb (present participle): schooling
Verb (past tense/past participle): schooled
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
An institution dedicated to teaching and learning, typically for children and adolescents, providing a structured environment for academic, social, and personal development.
Synonyms: academy, college, institute, educational institution
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this sense, as it refers to a place or concept.)
A specific building or set of buildings where educational instruction takes place.
Synonyms: campus, premises, grounds
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this sense, as it refers to a physical location.)
The period of one's life spent attending such an institution.
Synonyms: education, schooling, studies
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; perhaps "retirement" or "unemployment" in a very loose sense, but not direct opposites.)
A group of people, especially artists, writers, or thinkers, who share a common style, philosophy, or set of beliefs.
Synonyms: movement, tradition, genre, persuasion
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; perhaps "individualist" or "nonconformist" if referring to a person outside a school of thought.)
A large group of fish or other aquatic animals swimming together in a coordinated fashion.
Synonyms: shoal,
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; perhaps "solitary" or "dispersed" when referring to the animals themselves.)
Verb
To educate or train someone, especially in a particular skill or discipline.
Synonyms: teach, instruct, coach, tutor, train, drill
Antonyms: unteach, misinform, mislead
To discipline or control oneself or another, often through a structured process, to achieve a specific outcome or behavior.
Synonyms: discipline, train, condition, habituate
Antonyms: neglect, indulge, spoil
Examples of Use
Books: "The first day of school was always a mix of dread and excitement for Harry Potter, especially after his first year at Hogwarts." (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, June 1997)
Newspapers: "Parents across the district are debating the new mask mandate for elementary schools set to take effect next month." (The New York Times)
Online Publications: "How a small art school in Berlin is revolutionizing digital design education." (Dezeen)
Entertainment Mediums (Film): "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" famously depicts a high school student's elaborate scheme to skip class. (Paramount Pictures)
Entertainment Platforms (Television Series): "The students at Moordale Secondary School navigate the complexities of teenage relationships and identity in the Netflix series 'Sex Education'." (Netflix)
General Public Discourse: "My kids are finally back in school after the summer break, and the house feels so much quieter." (Heard in conversation)
General Public Discourse (Figurative Use): "He really schooled me on how to properly set up a home network; I had no idea it was so involved." (Heard in conversation)
Online Publications (Business): "Many companies are now offering online schooling for employees looking to upskill in areas like data science and artificial intelligence." (Harvard Business Review)
Books (Scientific Context): "The behavior of a school of fish can offer insights into collective intelligence and predator avoidance." (J. Parrish & W. Hamner, Fish Schooling Behavior)
10 Quotes Using School
"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows." (Sydney J. Harris)
"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." (Mark Twain)
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." (William Butler Yeats)
"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." (B.B. King)
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." (Benjamin Franklin)
"Children must be taught how to think, not what to think." (Margaret Mead)
"You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world." (Tom Brokaw)
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." (Mahatma Gandhi)
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled." (Plutarch)
"The best way to predict the future is to create it." (Peter Drucker)
Etymology
The word "school" has a really interesting origin because it actually comes from a Greek word, "scholē," which originally meant "leisure" or "free time." This might seem strange at first, since "school" today is usually associated with work and learning, not relaxation!
The idea was that this "leisure" time was used for serious discussions, philosophical debates, and learning. So, the place where these intellectual activities happened during free time eventually became known as a "scholē."
From Greek, the word was borrowed into Latin as "schola," keeping that sense of a "place of instruction" or a "meeting place for teachers and students." This Latin word then traveled into Old English as "scōl," eventually evolving into the "school" we use today.
So, the very first known meaning of the word, going back to ancient Greek, was about using one's leisure time for intellectual pursuits, which then evolved to mean the place where such learning and discussions took place.
Phrases + Idioms Containing School
Old school: Referring to something traditional, classic, or from an earlier time; adhering to traditional values or methods.
School of thought: A particular set of beliefs or ideas shared by a group of people.
To school someone: To teach someone a lesson, often in a forceful or humiliating way; to outperform someone significantly.
School daze: A state of absent-mindedness or disorientation, often associated with the boredom or routine of school.
Home school: To educate children at home rather than sending them to a traditional school.
Fish out of water: (Using a synonym of "school" in its "group of fish" sense, "shoal," for similar effect) Feeling uncomfortable or out of place in a particular situation.
School of hard knocks: The difficult experiences of life that teach one valuable lessons.
Teacher's pet: (Related to "school" environment) A student who is favored by the teacher.
Book smart vs. street smart: (Contrasting formal education with practical experience, often learned outside of school)
Back to school: The period when students return to classes after a break, or the preparation for it.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of school from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
