1
as in students
one who attends a school
generally there are 20 pupils in each class
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in adherents
one who follows the opinions or teachings of another
to pupils of the philosopher Henry David Thoreau, the shores of Walden Pond are hallowed ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of pupils
The feline's owner took to the platform on June 14, posting under her account @baileybo, to show off her black cat's striking looks thanks to mismatched pupils.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
When Nix first got drafted, Webb gave him an extensive guide to the NFL that included offseason schedules used by his old teammates and pupils like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and Eli Manning.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
The doctors then took photos of her eyes because her pupils weren’t dilating.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
All told, California’s public schools receive nearly $8 billion of aid from Washington each year to support programs for low-income students, pupils with disabilities and special-education services.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2025
In dim light, cat pupils dilate into circles, humanizing their eyes.
—Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
At the time, Tana also began undertaking drama lessons with Jeff Corey, whose pupils included Natalie Wood, Angie Dickinson and Kim Novak.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2025
The large, heavy-bodied snake has a large triangular head, vertical pupils and a rattle.
—Kirsten Fiscus, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Among the district campuses starting back to school on Wednesday was Trabuco Mesa Elementary, where the school’s bulldog mascot and teachers greeted returning pupils.
—Heather McRea, Oc Register, 14 Aug. 2025
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
When Nix first got drafted, Webb gave him an extensive guide to the NFL that included offseason schedules used by his old teammates and pupils like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and Eli Manning.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
The doctors then took photos of her eyes because her pupils weren’t dilating.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
All told, California’s public schools receive nearly $8 billion of aid from Washington each year to support programs for low-income students, pupils with disabilities and special-education services.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2025
In dim light, cat pupils dilate into circles, humanizing their eyes.
—Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
At the time, Tana also began undertaking drama lessons with Jeff Corey, whose pupils included Natalie Wood, Angie Dickinson and Kim Novak.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2025
The large, heavy-bodied snake has a large triangular head, vertical pupils and a rattle.
—Kirsten Fiscus, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Among the district campuses starting back to school on Wednesday was Trabuco Mesa Elementary, where the school’s bulldog mascot and teachers greeted returning pupils.
—Heather McRea, Oc Register, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pupils
Noun
-
The goals of the program are to reduce barriers to entry in the industry, foster professional development and equip students with leadership development skills.—
Staff reports,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
But for students who have spent years—and significant financial sums—on their education, struggling to land one's first job may feel like a betrayal.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Trump and his hogmen are co-opting actual Nazi lingo from the gutter of the internet, speaking in references only Fox News viewers and Q-Anon adherents can parse, and rehabilitating the r-word as some sort of edgy pose that the rest of us learned was cruel in middle school.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
-
After the Great Black Migration in the 1920s, our city was one of the centers of the Ku Klux Klan’s revival as the strongest populist movement of the decade, claiming 5 million adherents, with 50,000 in Chicago alone.—
Jackson Potter,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Leading genocide scholars passed a resolution this week that declared Israel’s actions in Gaza had met the legal definition of genocide.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, meanwhile, is referred to by public scholars and media in a variety of ways that emphasize Russia or President Vladimir Putin as an aggressive antagonist.—
Esther Brito Ruiz,
The Conversation,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But witnessing that scene Sunday night, even the most casual fan among a platoon of 50,000 disciples would grin at this once-implausible sight.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
-
If The White Lotus season three was an object of worship, then my friends and I were loyal disciples, and anyone’s living room was our temple.—
Nikki Sternberg,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Strangers turned to followers and views into food orders.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Tate has amassed more than 10 million followers on X and hundreds of thousands more on other platforms like Telegram and Truth Social.—
Will Carless,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pupils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pupils. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share