Phrase guide

prep school

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈpɹɛpˌskuːl/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A private or public school intended to prepare its students to gain admission into prestigious universities.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A private primary school which prepares its pupils for the common entrance examination most commonly at the age of thirteen, and subsequent entry into public school.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: prepper

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a private secondary school

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: preparatory school

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: secondary school, lyceum, lycee, Gymnasium, middle school

Narrower terms: choir school, schola cantorum

History

Etymology

Clipped compound of preparatory school.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: yksityislukio — US: school that prepares for university
  • Finnish: lukio — US: school that prepares for university
  • Finnish: preppauskoulu — US: school that prepares for university
  • Hungarian: gimnázium — US: school that prepares for university
  • Hungarian: magániskola — US: school that prepares for university
  • Hungarian: magángimnázium — US: school that prepares for university
  • Japanese: 予備校 (yobikō) — US: school that prepares for university
  • Polish: szkoła przygotowująca na studia — US: school that prepares for university
  • Spanish: preparatoria — US: school that prepares for university
  • Esperanto: privata lernejo — UK: private school that prepares for common entrance examination
  • Finnish: yksityinen peruskoulu — UK: private school that prepares for common entrance examination
  • Hungarian: egyetemi előkészítő iskola — UK: private school that prepares for common entrance examination
  • Japanese: 塾 (juku) — UK: private school that prepares for common entrance examination
  • Polish: szkoła prywatna — UK: private school that prepares for common entrance examination