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Synonyms

private school

American  

noun

  1. a school founded, conducted, and maintained by a private group rather than by the government, usually charging tuition and often following a particular philosophy, viewpoint, etc.

private school British  

noun

  1. a school under the financial and managerial control of a private body or charitable trust, accepting mostly fee-paying pupils

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of private school

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Public and private schools couldn’t match what they had left behind.

From The Wall Street Journal

A legal challenge by a group of private schools over the government's decision to remove the VAT exemption on the fees they charge has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

From BBC

For-profit sports academies, some focusing on a single sport, are popping up from Virginia to San Diego, while private schools, home-school programs and even a public school district are adding—and aggressively marketing—holdback years.

From The Wall Street Journal

A former private school teacher has been struck off after it was found he lied about having a degree from the University of Cambridge and serving as a magistrate.

From BBC

Gu grew up with a foot firmly in both worlds, spending her summers in Beijing and the rest of her term at a private school in San Francisco.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.