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.
The trio's schoolyard nemesis, Princess Morbucks, knows she's been naughty this year and doesn't have a hope of getting her wish: to become a Powerpuff Girl. EW.com, 20 Dec. 2024 McGrath worried that water percolating through the mine waste would wash poisons into the canyon next to her home, and that tailings dust would blow across Corona de Tucson and Vail, including a schoolyard. Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 19 Dec. 2024 Released on October 30, Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket is a virtual version of the collectible card game that has captivated schoolyards since the late 1990s. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Asia, 18 Dec. 2024 The children face not only difficult recoveries but also the challenges of schoolyards and summer camps filled with peers who neither speak their native language nor know much about the devastation in Gaza. Laura Boushnak, New York Times, 27 Dec. 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 30 Jan. 2025.

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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