freshman
Americannoun
plural
freshmen-
a student in the first year of the course at a university, college, or high school.
-
a novice; beginner.
adjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of a freshman.
to outgrow one's freshman attitudes.
-
lacking seniority or experience; junior.
a freshman senator.
-
required of or suitable for freshmen.
freshman courses.
-
initial; first.
This is my freshman year with the company.
Gender
See -man.
Other Word Forms
- freshmanship noun
- prefreshman noun
- subfreshman noun
Etymology
Origin of freshman
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.
Castellano and his co-founder, Nebiyu Demie, who met working campus jobs as freshman computer science students, moved out of the dorms and straight into an apartment complex owned by their investors, Cambridge-based Link Ventures.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
JSerra 2, Servite 1: An RBI double by Ayden Coleman and RBI single from freshman Joey Koenig lifted the Lions to the Trinity League win.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
My daughter got into trouble with credit cards as a freshman.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
Dame Sarr inbounded the basketball for Duke, and a pair of quick passes put the ball in the hands of freshman Cayden Boozer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
I “dated” Tyler Paul my freshman year of high school, but that lasted all of a month, until I came down with an infection and needed to go to the hospital for a few weeks.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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.
