Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

finishing school

noun

Definition of finishing school

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

See finishing school defined for English-language learners

Explore Merriam-Webster

alt-5993066a3afad
What's the Plural of 'Maitre d''?
image1458426927
Good Words for Strong Flavors
time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?
alt-5991e113c97b3
Trending: Trump Calls Racism 'Repugnant'

First Known Use of finishing school

1832

FINISHING SCHOOL Defined for English Language Learners

finishing school

noun

Definition of finishing school for English Language Learners

  • : a private school where girls from wealthy families are taught proper behavior and manners

Learn More about finishing school

  1. See words that rhyme with finishing school

Seen and Heard

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

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

perfunctory

play

done merely as a duty

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

  2. white nationalist, white supremacist Trending in 2017

  3. bereft "Lacking something needed, wanted, or expected"

  4. impanel "To choose people to serve on a jury"

  5. cosmopolitan "Worldly"

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

image1458426927
Food Words for Strong Flavors

A tasting menu of vivid flavor descriptions

alt-5993066a3afad
What's the Plural of 'Maitre d''?

Use this word to confuse a French speaker.

alt-598dca6eb95f8
Running After the History of 'Lackey'

Are lackeys lacking something?

alt-5991b04e3d7ac
The Difference Between 'Patriotism' and 'Nationalism'

They're often not synonyms

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
name-more-food
Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Citation
Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game