finishing school

noun

: a private school for girls that emphasizes cultural studies and prepares students especially for social activities

Examples of finishing school in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At the same time, young ladies of marriageable age flocked to this city to attend finishing schools, all while being on the lookout for a suitable husband. Yolanda Evans, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2024 Hardy, who runs an anti-violence nonprofit called Guns Down Friday, knew that because of his age and the people around him, Rashad was on the precipice of both — teetering between finishing school and abandoning it, between resignation and rage, between survival and an early, violent death. Emily Davies, Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2024 The girls were attending finishing school, then finding a husband, then getting married. Yolanda Evans, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2024 Natalie was one of only a few Jews at Cranbrook Kingswood, a girls’ finishing school in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Elsa Dixler, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2023 The studio and Wells Prods. proved to be a finishing school for showrunners and top producers such as Zabel, Stiehm, Neal Baer, Janine Sherman Barrois, Dee Johnson, Mimi Leder, Lydia Woodward, Carol Flint, Christopher Chulack, Jack Orman and others. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 31 May 2023 Nicole and Michael posted a joint carousel of Boomer and his younger brother finishing school, with the last slide showing Boomer all muddy after participating in the tradition. Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 30 Oct. 2023 Once a proud finishing school for aspiringpro wrestlers whose alumni include Brock Lesnar, The Miz, John Cena, Dave Bautista, and Randy Orton, the gym has since hit hard times. Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 7 Sep. 2023 The United States needs players competing against their rivals and peers in the Champions League, not only as a finishing school but as a way to better understand their relative strength. Rory Smith, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'finishing school.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of finishing school was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near finishing school

Cite this Entry

“Finishing school.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finishing%20school. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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