alma mater

noun

al·ma ma·ter | \ˌal-mə-ˈmä-tər

Definition of alma mater

1 : a school, college, or university which one has attended or from which one has graduated went to a class reunion at his alma mater

2 : the song or hymn of a school, college, or university "Hey, Harvard boy, sing your alma mater!" shouted an obnoxious producer.— Phil Kloer

Examples of alma mater in a Sentence

I visited my old alma mater last week.

Recent Examples on the Web

Mullin took over the college program at his alma mater the next year. — Greg Bishop, SI.com, "Run TMC Lives on as the Rare Team Celebrated for Style Rather Than Record," 28 June 2018 First-time head coach Barry Odom looked in over his head during his second season at his alma mater. — Edgar Thompson, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Missouri boasts potent offense, is No. 61 in 2018 preseason college football rankings," 27 June 2018 In addition to being ultra-adorable, baby Gaines' first outfit also pays homage to his parents' alma mater, Baylor University. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, "The Sweet Meaning Behind Chip and Joanna Gaines’ First Outfit for Baby Crew — and Where to Buy It," 25 June 2018 On the same days hundreds of students graduated from Harvard, actress Natalie Portman was across the street from her alma mater. — Mark Shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, "Natalie Portman makes the scene at the Brattle," 24 May 2018 In March, Hammon turned down another big opportunity, passing on an offer from her alma mater, Colorado State, to coach the school’s men’s team. — Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, "Spurs promote Hammon to the front row," 27 June 2018 Lowe was an assistant under former Pistons coach Flip Saunders for one season before leaving to become the head coach at his alma mater, N.C. State. — Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons Dwane Casey: Coaching honor 'awkward' after firing," 26 June 2018 Most recently in the headlines has been one of the jewels of the school system, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, alma mater of comedian Dave Chappelle and musician Me’Shell Ndegéocello. — Washington Post, "DC’s public schools go from success story to cautionary tale," 18 June 2018 Today Hertog is a professor at the University of Leuven in Belgium (which is also the alma mater of Georges Lemaître, the astronomer and Roman Catholic priest who first introduced the idea of an expanding universe in 1927). — Alexander Hellemans, Scientific American, "A Conversation with Thomas Hertog, One of Stephen Hawking’s Final Collaborators," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alma mater.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.