freshman

noun

fresh·​man ˈfresh-mən 

often attributive

1

: a student in the first year of high school or college

2

: beginner, newcomer

especially : a person who is starting a job or activity

freshman lawmakers

Synonyms of freshman

• novice
• rookie
• newcomer
• beginner
• apprentice

Examples of freshman in a Sentence

My daughter's a freshman at UCLA.

He was the best freshman in professional basketball this year.

Recent Examples on the Web

The upshot is that entering freshmen only have a few months before being bombarded by banks and banking hype is unavoidable. — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026

Parson’s son Tucker passed for 2,698 yards and 34 touchdowns as a Rockmart freshman last season. — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Redshirt sophomore Kaylon Miller has taken repetitions at center and redshirt freshman Willi Wascher was second on the depth chart at the position for the Alamo Bowl last season. — Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 6 Aug. 2026

The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Jasper Smith wrote about the Howard University’s decision to disenroll 500 students, 16% of its freshman class. — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing freshman

• freshman orientation
• pre-freshman

Rhymes for freshman

• freshmen

Kids Definition

freshman

noun

fresh·​man ˈfresh-mən 

1

: beginner, newcomer

2

: a student in the first year (as of high school or college)