matriculate

verb

ma·​tric·​u·​late mə-ˈtri-kyə-ˌlāt 

matriculated; matriculating

transitive verb

: to enroll as a member of a body and especially of a college or university

intransitive verb

: to be enrolled at a college or university

She matriculated at the state university.

matriculant

mə-ˈtri-kyə-lənt 

noun

Did you know?

Anybody who has had basic Latin knows that alma mater, a fancy term for the school you attended, comes from a phrase that means "fostering mother." If mater means "mother," then matriculate probably has something to do with a school nurturing you just like good old mom, right? Not exactly. If you go back far enough, matriculate is distantly related to the Latin mater, but its maternal associations were lost long ago—even in terms of Latin history. It is more closely related to the Late Latin word matricula, which means "public roll or register." Matricula has more to do with being enrolled than being mothered, but it is the diminutive form of the Latin noun matrix, which in Late Latin was used in the sense of "list" or "register" and earlier referred to female animals kept for the purposes of breeding.

Synonyms of matriculate

• enroll

Examples of matriculate in a Sentence

the college matriculated 1000 students for the fall semester

Recent Examples on the Web

Constructing a curriculum From 30 to 50 applications, the construction capstone program matriculates about 32 students a year, split into four-hour morning and afternoon classes with about 16 seats each. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026

Daniels and Washington woke up, and started to do what offenses do against the Cowboys — matriculate the football up and down the football field. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Sep. 2026

As a result, Cypher said, about 600,000 first-time full-time freshmen did not matriculate that year. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Shortly before Salinger matriculated, a cadet fell to his death from an academy window under suspicious circumstances. — Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin matriculatus, past participle of matriculare, from Late Latin matricula public roll, diminutive of matric-, matrix list, from Latin, breeding female

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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Kids Definition

matriculate

verb

ma·​tric·​u·​late mə-ˈtrik-yə-ˌlāt 

matriculated; matriculating

: to enroll especially in a college or university

matriculation

-ˌtrik-yə-ˈlā-shən 

noun