Phi Beta Kappa
noun
Phi Be·ta Kap·pa
ˌfī-ˌbā-tə-ˈka-pə 
: a person winning high scholastic distinction in an American college or university and being elected to membership in a national honor society founded in 1776
Examples of Phi Beta Kappa in a Sentence
She belongs to Phi Beta Kappa.
He made Phi Beta Kappa his sophomore year.
He's a Phi Beta Kappa.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jane is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
—
Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Levy enlisted in World War II the day after high school graduation, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Coe College, was accepted into Harvard Law School and eventually earned a double master’s degree in English and history from Harvard.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
Her mother was in the same program, along with Phi Beta Kappa, at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 May 2025
Richard Brauer, former director of the Valparaiso University Brauer Museum of Art which bears his name, was inducted Friday afternoon as an honorary member into the university’s chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, considered the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society.
—Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2025
The Phi Beta Kappa Society remains the oldest academic honor society in the U.S.
1933: Prohibition ended with ratification of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the nation’s only amendment of 27 ratified to have repealed another amendment.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 6 Dec. 2024
Northwestern University School of Law Emory University – Phi Beta Kappa
List in reverse chronological order your work history for the past 15 years.
—Matthew Lane, Sun Sentinel, 17 July 2024
At the University of Florida, he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honors society and received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1959.
—Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2024
In 2019, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, which has almost 300 member colleges, rejected CNU’s request to set up a chapter on campus and encouraged the school to pursue greater diversity.
—Brandi Kellam, ProPublica, 22 Dec. 2023
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Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Levy enlisted in World War II the day after high school graduation, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Coe College, was accepted into Harvard Law School and eventually earned a double master’s degree in English and history from Harvard.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
Her mother was in the same program, along with Phi Beta Kappa, at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 May 2025
Richard Brauer, former director of the Valparaiso University Brauer Museum of Art which bears his name, was inducted Friday afternoon as an honorary member into the university’s chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, considered the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society.
—Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2025
The Phi Beta Kappa Society remains the oldest academic honor society in the U.S.
1933: Prohibition ended with ratification of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the nation’s only amendment of 27 ratified to have repealed another amendment.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 6 Dec. 2024
Northwestern University School of Law Emory University – Phi Beta Kappa
List in reverse chronological order your work history for the past 15 years.
—Matthew Lane, Sun Sentinel, 17 July 2024
At the University of Florida, he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honors society and received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1959.
—Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2024
In 2019, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, which has almost 300 member colleges, rejected CNU’s request to set up a chapter on campus and encouraged the school to pursue greater diversity.
—Brandi Kellam, ProPublica, 22 Dec. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Phi Beta Kappa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Phi%20Beta%20Kappa. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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