schoolyard

noun

school·​yard ˈskül-ˌyärd How to pronounce schoolyard (audio)
plural schoolyards
: the area next to or surrounding a school where students typically play games or sports
He organized a marbles tournament that could take place only in the schoolyard during recess.Jerry Spinelli
… there was a schoolboyish quality to the way he did it—as if he were trying to show that he was the biggest, toughest boy in the schoolyard.Elizabeth Drew
often used before another noun
schoolyard games
a schoolyard bully

Examples of schoolyard in a Sentence

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.
World & Nation Serbia shocked, dismayed after two mass shootings in two days May 5, 2023 Footage broadcast by Croatian media on Friday showed children running away from the school building and a medical helicopter landing in the schoolyard. Darko Bandic, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024 But [Star Wars] played a big part in how my imagination blossomed as a child, while running around my yard or the schoolyard, pretending to be those characters. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2024 Children in the schoolyard across the street, a truck backing up. Ayad Akhtar, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024 But Biden's basic human decency was another thing that will be much more widely appreciated as the 47th president brings his relentless circus of daily outrages, provocations and schoolyard taunts back into our lives. Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for schoolyard 

Word History

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of schoolyard was in 1586

Dictionary Entries Near schoolyard

Cite this Entry

“Schoolyard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schoolyard. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

schoolyard

noun
school·​yard
-ˌyärd
: the playground of a school

More from Merriam-Webster on schoolyard

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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