academy

American  

[uh-kad-uh-mee] / əˈkæd ə mi /

noun

plural

academies

1. a secondary or high school, especially a private one.

   My daughter goes to a very exclusive academy in Chicago.

2. a school or college for special instruction or training in a subject.

   a military academy.

3. an association or institution for the advancement of art, literature, or science.

   the National Academy of Arts and Letters.

4. a group of authorities and leaders in a field of scholarship, art, etc., who are often permitted to dictate standards, prescribe methods, and criticize new ideas.

5. the Academy,

   1. the Platonic school of philosophy or its adherents.

   2. academe.

   3. French Academy.

   4. Royal Academy.

   5. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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Academy ¹ British  

/ əˈkædəmɪ /

noun

1. 1. the grove or garden near Athens where Plato taught in the late 4th century _bc

   2. the school of philosophy founded by Plato

   3. the members of this school and their successors

2. short for the French Academy Royal Academy

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academy ² British  

/ əˈkædəmɪ /

noun

1. an institution or society for the advancement of literature, art, or science

2. a school for training in a particular skill or profession

   a military academy

3. a secondary school: now used only as part of a name, and often denoting a private school

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Etymology

Origin of academy

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English achademye, achadomye, from Latin Acadēmīa, the name of the public gymnasium near Athens, sacred to the hero Academus, where Plato established his school of philosophy; from Greek Akadēmía, variant of Akadḗmeia, noun use of feminine adjective Akadḗmeios, derivative of Akádēm(os) + -eia adjective suffix; Academus; -y ³ ( def. )

Explanation

An academy is a fancy school, often one devoted to one subject or discipline, such as music or science. You can also use academy to describe the world of higher learning. If you show unusual gifts as a clarinetist, you should consider attending the music academy in the next town. That's where you'll learn the most about your art. It's a private school, the Goodman Academy of Music, named after Benny Goodman, who was the greatest jazz clarinetist ever. If you want to use academy in its other sense, try "Those home experiments are cool, but without peer review, the academy will never accept them as science." Darn academy.

Example Sentences

I got in the academy and then, yeah, I was there until I left at 21 I think.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Take the case of Igbert Marín Chaparro, who in 1999 graduated at the top of his class from Venezuela’s military academy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

“At least the impediments that kept us from retaining recruits, to get them in the academy, that has changed.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Live campus rather than in the heart of Hollywood is expected to allow the academy greater control over crowd flow and event programming, and provide better means for hosting visitors.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

He tells her he did not become headmaster of Leamy’s National School to preside over an academy of messenger boys.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Related Words

• boarding school
• institute
• prep school
• secondary school
• seminary