sophomore

1 of 2

noun

soph·​o·​more ˈsäf-ˌmȯr 

 also  ˈsȯf-,

 or  ˈsä-fə-,

 or  ˈsȯ-fə-

: a student in the second year at college or a 4-year secondary school

sophomore

2 of 2

adjective

: being or associated with the second in a series

their sophomore album

Examples of sophomore in a Sentence

Noun

She's a sophomore in high school.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

She’s written loads for a sophomore album, inspired by her family’s experience evacuating their Palisades neighborhood as wildfires swept through Los Angeles in January. —Angelique Jackson, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025

Tillers sophomore quarterback Ayden Edwards put the ball in the air 17 times and had two touchdown passes. —Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025

Adjective

Fiore has been at Cathedral for the last seven years and in her sophomore English class, all 125 of her students do a TED talk during the year. —Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025

And there’s also sophomore Holloway, who scored 26 points in Alabama’s last outing before conference play began and added 10 points on Saturday. —Kennington Smith Iii, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps from Greek sophos wise + mōros foolish

First Known Use

Noun

1688, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sophomore

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• blastopore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore

Kids Definition

sophomore

noun

soph·​o·​more

ˈsäf-ˌmō(ə)r,

-ˌmȯ(ə)r;

ˈsäf-ᵊm-ˌō(ə)r,

-ˌȯ(ə)r

: a student in his or her second year at a 4-year high school or college