schoolyard

noun

school·​yard ˈskül-ˌyärd 

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

Survivor host Jeff Probst explains why show stopped doing schoolyard picks to determine tribes Stephanie Berger QR code menus at restaurants need to f---ing go. —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2025

Bullying isn’t just a schoolyard phenomenon—kids can be unkind, but adults are often brutal. —Jason Walker Psyd, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025

Staying silent is no way to deal with a bully like Trump, as so many children have learned in so many schoolyards. —Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025

Canal: 'Only in Stockton' Based on CCTV footage, it is believed that the remains — which local news broadcaster RTE reported was a hand — were dropped into the schoolyard by a bird at about 10:30 a.m. —Toria Sheffield, People.com, 22 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for schoolyard

• asgard
• backyard
• barnyard
• blackguard
• bombard
• brickyard
• canard
• churchyard
• coastguard
• courtyard
• debarred
• diehard

Kids Definition

schoolyard

noun

school·​yard

-ˌyärd

: the playground of a school