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

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

Love him or otherwise, the president-elect of the United States mostly communicates in schoolyard insults and mean tweets. —Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 17 Nov. 2024

Between the lines: Trump and Obama loathe each other, and the attacks between them veer into race-baiting and schoolyard taunts. —Alex Thompson, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024

Millie’s famous yell was eventually heard in schoolyards across the country. —Brendan Le, People.com, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

schoolyard

noun

school·​yard

-ˌyärd

: the playground of a school