freshman

noun

fresh·​man ˈfresh-mən How to pronounce freshman (audio)
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

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
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.
Saginaw didn’t run much at all in the first half, but when the Rough Riders needed to run the clock in the second half, another freshman stepped up. Updated October 10, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2025 The streamer then proceeded with the three freshman crime/thriller dramas, renewing the Bosch spinoff Ballard and canceling Countdown and Butterfly. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025 Bagsby and Booker have been dating since their freshman year at Alabama. Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025 Reina Hardesty, Piper Perabo, Louis Landau, Kim Ji-hoon, and Kim Tae-hee also starred in the freshman season. Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for freshman

Word History

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of freshman was in 1557

Cite this Entry

“Freshman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freshman. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

freshman

noun
fresh·​man ˈfresh-mən How to pronounce freshman (audio)
1
2
: a student in the first year (as of high school or college)

More from Merriam-Webster on freshman

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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