alumnus

noun alum·nus \ ə-ˈləm-nəs \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of alumnus

plural alumni play \-ˌnī\

1 : a person who has attended or has graduated from a particular school, college, or university

an alumnus of Columbia University

—usually used of a man in the singular but often of men and women in the plural

2 : a person who is a former member, employee, contributor, or inmate

a Saturday Night Live alumnus

See alumnus defined for English-language learners

See alumnus defined for kids

Examples of alumnus in a Sentence

Her parents are alumni of the state university.

Recent Examples of alumnus from the Web

The Big Ten has millions of alumni, many scattered across the country.

— phil rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, "Comcast Xfinity dumping Big Ten Network in much of U.S. — but not the Chicago area," 13 Apr. 2018
Many of the college's alumni saw Williams' story and wanted to help.

— natalie johnson, CNN, "A waitress takes time to cut elderly diner's ham. Kind act wins her a college scholarship," 13 Apr. 2018
The Concert Band is a unique blend of more than 80 musicians composed of Eastern students, faculty, alumni, local music educators and talented musicians from the eastern Connecticut area.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Windham Edition," 10 Apr. 2018
These are the sorts of problems that turn off fans, alumni, boosters, recruits and potential students.

— greg moore, azcentral, "Moore: Arizona AD Dave Heeke must compel Kevin Sumlin, Sean Miller to be more transparent," 7 Apr. 2018
Click through the slideshow above to see historic photos of College Station and the Texas A&M campus... Several generations of Aggie alumni and Texans alike have helped the city of College Station bloom over the past century and change.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "See the evolution of College Station and Texas A&M in vintage photos," 5 Apr. 2018
The third-oldest university in the United States, Yale boasts many famous alumni, including former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, and actors Paul Newman and Meryl Streep.

— angela moore, The Christian Science Monitor, "Yale students find anxiety relief in popular happiness course," 29 Mar. 2018
The post began circulating on social media among alumni, students and people associated with Howard.

— michael harriot, The Root, "The Finessing of Howard University," 29 Mar. 2018
That last game had been heavy on emotion, including a surprise appearance by scores of O’s alumni, who walked onto the field after the game was over.

— chris kaltenbach, baltimoresun.com, "Twenty-five years ago, Memorial Stadium enjoyed the start of one last fling with professional baseball — with the Bowie Baysox," 27 Mar. 2018

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

Alumnus or Alumna?

Many people are comfortable using the word alumni to refer to someone who was a student of a particular school. However, others feel quite strongly that this is an error and that the following forms should be used: alumnus (for one male), alumni (for multiple males, or for a mix of males and females), alumna (for one female), and alumnae (for multiple females). The shortened form alum and its plural form alums began to be used in the 19th century. Initially, alum was widely viewed as highly colloquial or informal, but is increasing in use as a gender-neutral alternative.

Origin and Etymology of alumnus

Latin, foster son, pupil, from alere to nourish — more at old

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1645

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Education Terms

baccalaureate, colloquium, corequisite, dissertation, monograph, pedant, practicum, survey course, thesis

ALUMNUS Defined for English Language Learners

alumnus

noun

Definition of alumnus for English Language Learners

: someone who was a student at a particular school, college, or university

ALUMNUS Defined for Kids

alumnus

noun alum·nus \ ə-ˈləm-nəs \

Definition of alumnus for Students

plural alumni \-ˌnī\

: a person who has attended or has graduated from a school, college, or university

Learn More about alumnus

Spanish Central: Translation of alumnus Nglish: Translation of alumnus for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of alumnus for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up alumnus? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

alumnus

Definition of alumnus

Examples of alumnus in a Sentence

Recent Examples of alumnus from the Web

Alumnus or Alumna?

Origin and Etymology of alumnus

Other Education Terms

ALUMNUS Defined for English Language Learners

alumnus

Definition of alumnus for English Language Learners

ALUMNUS Defined for Kids

alumnus

Definition of alumnus for Students

Learn More about alumnus

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

loath

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

'Complement' vs. 'Compliment'

Words from Letters in the Greek Alphabet

'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

Words We're Watching: 'Bluebeard,' the Verb

Ask the Editors

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Words of the Year: 1066

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

More Confusing Words—Quiz

Spell It

Word Winder's CrossWinder

'Complement' vs. 'Compliment'

Trending: HRC: Media Opened Door to 'Charlatans'

Going Greek: 7 Words from the Greek Alphabet

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

alumnus

Definition of alumnus

Examples of alumnus in a Sentence

Recent Examples of alumnus from the Web

Alumnus or Alumna?

Origin and Etymology of alumnus

Other Education Terms

ALUMNUS Defined for English Language Learners

alumnus

Definition of alumnus for English Language Learners

ALUMNUS Defined for Kids

alumnus

Definition of alumnus for Students

Learn More about alumnus

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Complement' vs. 'Compliment'

Trending: HRC: Media Opened Door to 'Charlatans'

Going Greek: 7 Words from the Greek Alphabet

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes