student

noun

stu·​dent ˈstü-dᵊnt How to pronounce student (audio)
ˈstyü-
chiefly Southern -dənt
Synonyms of studentnext
often attributive
1
: scholar, learner
especially : one who attends a school
2
: one who studies : an attentive and systematic observer
a student of politics

Synonyms of student

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of student in a Sentence

a group of college students She is a student at Georgetown University.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Critics say the classroom alarms miss the broader picture of student success. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 So rather than rely solely on a college admissions test, the state has proposed assessing every student for both college and career readiness. — Tim Knowles, Fortune, 8 July 2026 Rather than replacing teachers, these tools extend their ability to personalize instruction and keep students engaged. — Lisa Schade, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 The relationship between student and community has become extractive. — Anya Joseph, Mercury News, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for student

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin student-, studens, from present participle of studēre to study — more at study

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of student was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing student

Rhymes for student

See All Rhymes for student

Browse Nearby Words

stud driver
student
student's t distribution
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Student.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/student. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

student

noun
stu·​dent ˈst(y)üd-ᵊnt How to pronounce student (audio)
chiefly Southern -ənt
1
: scholar sense 1
especially : one who attends a school or college
2
: one who studies
a student of life

More from Merriam-Webster on student

Nglish: Translation of student for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All