Synonyms of school

school 1 of 2

noun

ˈskül 

as in academy

a place or establishment for teaching and learning

one of the first schools in the country to admit girls as students

Synonyms & Similar Words

• academy
• seminary
• kindergarten
• academe
• high school
• prep
• public school
• prep school
• preparatory school
• elementary school
• secondary school
• boarding school
• primary school
• middle school
• trade school
• grammar school
• junior high school
• common school
• senior high school
• yeshiva
• charter school
• Sunday school
• training school
• magnet school
• minischool
• madrassa

school

2 of 2

verb

as in to teach

to cause to acquire knowledge or skill in some field

schooled their children in proper etiquette for formal occasions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• teach
• educate
• lesson
• train
• tutor
• indoctrinate
• coach
• instruct
• lecture
• mentor
• ground
• guide
• prime
• prepare
• drill
• preach
• homeschool
• inform
• instill
• qualify
• moralize
• lead
• inculcate
• show
• rear
• impart (to)
• habilitate
• implant
• fit
• verse
• introduce
• direct
• brief
• edify
• enlighten
• catechize
• familiarize
• retrain
• reschool
• initiate
• reteach
• reeducate

Synonym Chooser

How is the word school different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of school are discipline, educate, instruct, teach, and train. While all these words mean "to cause to acquire knowledge or skill," school implies training or disciplining especially in what is hard to master.

schooled the horse in five gaits

When is discipline a more appropriate choice than school?

While in some cases nearly identical to school, discipline implies training in habits of order and precision.

a disciplined mind

In what contexts can educate take the place of school?

While the synonyms educate and school are close in meaning, educate implies development of the mind.

more things than formal schooling serve to educate a person

When might instruct be a better fit than school?

The synonyms instruct and school are sometimes interchangeable, but instruct suggests methodical or formal teaching.

instructs raw recruits in military drill

When is it sensible to use teach instead of school?

In some situations, the words teach and school are roughly equivalent. However, teach applies to any manner of imparting information or skill so that others may learn.

taught us a lot about our planet

When can train be used instead of school?

The words train and school can be used in similar contexts, but train stresses instruction and drill with a specific end in view.

trained foreign pilots to operate the new aircraft

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of school

Noun

Except on Mondays, when the church’s youth fellowship met, Adele was expected to come straight home from school and babysit her brothers. —Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

And a small mining town in Canada was shocked by a school shooting that claimed nine lives the same month. —Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026

Verb

Shaq’s pregame ritual schooled 10-year-old me on the low end of audio frequency. —Nick Friedell, New York Times, 23 May 2026

Extra Points Newsletter publisher Matt Brown compiled the data via public record requests to each NCAA Division I school. —Shaun Goodwin may 22, Idaho Statesman, 22 May 2026

Phrases Containing school

• nursery school
• senior high school