finishing school

noun

: a private school for girls that emphasizes cultural studies and prepares students especially for social activities

Examples of finishing school in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Later in a career, international assignments can serve as finishing school for a senior leader who needs more experience running complex markets before being considered for the top job. Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 4 May 2026 Michigan is not a finishing school for polite young men and women. Paula Wethington, CBS News, 4 May 2026 In this entry, the third of the series, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his chums at a children’s finishing school for magicians called Hogwarts must work together to protect Harry from a killer named Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who intends to kill the young wizard. David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Apr. 2026 The first was her character; in Hulu’s Handmaid’s Tale sequel, the 22-year-old plays Daisy, a Toronto teen turned undercover agent at a Gilead girls finishing school. Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for finishing school

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of finishing school was in 1832

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Finishing school.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finishing%20school. Accessed 7 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster