YMCA

noun

ˌwī-ˌem-(ˌ)sē-ˈā 

: an international organization that promotes the spiritual, intellectual, social, and physical welfare originally of young men

—usually used with the

a member of the YMCA

—sometimes shortened informally to the Y

Examples of YMCA in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One building, the smaller one, was built 90 years ago and is the former site of the Brooklyn McCrorey branch YMCA. —Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2026

According to data from the YMCA of San Diego, nearly half of San Diego County is a child care desert — without a sufficient amount of providers for the number of children — for children under 5 years old. —Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026

Airbnb on Thursday gifted free tickets for one of the matches at MetLife Stadium to the group of middle school soccer players at the Jamaica YMCA. —John Dias, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026

The city is exploring the option of securing the ability for residents to also shower at the YMCA. —Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Young Men's Christian Association

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

YMCA

noun

ˌwī-ˌem-(ˌ)sē-ˈā 

: an international organization that promotes the spiritual, intellectual, social, and physical welfare originally of young Christian men

Etymology

Young Men's Christian Association