matriculate

verb

ma·tric·u·late | \ mə-ˈtri-kyə-ˌlāt

matriculated; matriculating

Definition of matriculate

transitive verb

: to enroll as a member of a body and especially of a college or university

intransitive verb

: to be enrolled at a college or university She matriculated at the state university.

Other Words from matriculate Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about matriculate

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Synonyms & Antonyms for matriculate

Synonyms

enroll (also enrol), inscribe, list, register

Antonyms

delist

Did You Know?

Anybody who has had basic Latin knows that alma mater, a fancy term for the school you attended, comes from a phrase that means "fostering mother." If mater is "mother," then matriculate probably has something to do with a school nurturing you just like good old mom, right? Not exactly. If you go back far enough, matriculate is distantly related to the Latin mater, but its maternal associations were lost long ago. It is more closely related to Late Latin matricula, which means "public roll or register," and it has more to do with being enrolled than being mothered.

Examples of matriculate in a Sentence

the college matriculated 1000 students for the fall semester

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, with most such players matriculating at conservatories before hitting professional bandstands, the range of influence is wider and more diffuse. — Martin Johnson, WSJ, "‘Quiet Revolution’ by Ben Allison Review: Blast From the Past," 5 Nov. 2018 Your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy Keke Coutee is following a tradition of Texas Tech wide receivers who have matriculated to the NFL. — Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle, "Texans pleased with rookie WR Keke Coutee," 18 June 2018 One of the major challenges of matriculating to the senior class is learning to ask for a rightful handout. — Logan Jenkins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Seniors, don't discount importance of being curious," 3 May 2018 Most prospects take three to four years to matriculate to the NHL level. — Jordan Mcpherson, miamiherald, "The Panthers' top development camp prospect has one goal: Another shot at the NHL," 27 June 2018 Loude graduated in 2017, while Seldon in matriculated in 2007. — Claire Wolters, Philly.com, "UArts alums featured in Beyoncé and Jay-Z's new music video," 19 June 2018 In 1864, a year after graduation from the Institute, Cole matriculated into the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMC), the first school in the U.S. to award women the degree of Medical Doctor. — Leila Mcneill, Smithsonian, "The Woman Who Challenged the Idea that Black Communities Were Destined for Disease," 6 June 2018 Explaining the 75 percent dropoff that has transpired in the course of 12 months, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban was quick to point out that the high number of freshmen who matriculated in January and February last year was an outlier. — Rainer Sabin, AL.com, "Alabama experiences dropoff in early enrollees," 15 Feb. 2018 Having left Decatur decades back just mere credits from graduating in order to start her family, Deanna decides to matriculate alongside her kid, who’s initially aghast at the situation but quickly (and surprisingly) is cool with it. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "Review: Melissa McCarthy's C-grade college comedy 'Life of the Party' is a Greek tragedy," 10 May 2018

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