schoolyard

noun

school·​yard ˈskül-ˌyärd 

plural schoolyards

: the area next to or surrounding a school where students typically play games or sports

He organized a marbles tournament that could take place only in the schoolyard during recess.

—Jerry Spinelli

… there was a schoolboyish quality to the way he did it—as if he were trying to show that he was the biggest, toughest boy in the schoolyard.

—Elizabeth Drew

—often used before another noun

schoolyard games

a schoolyard bully

Examples of schoolyard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

My father would fight kids in the schoolyard, all of them white, who said Mantle was better than Mays, but remember the yellowed icon of that era is an over-the-shoulder basket catch, defense with Mays facing away from us. —Natan Last, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025

None of them ever absorbed the old schoolyard lesson, don’t let your mouth write a check your ass can’t cash. —Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 18 Sep. 2025

Underly spoke at the 2025 State of Education address in Madison This year's biggest schoolyard bully? —Cleo Krejci, jsonline.com, 18 Sep. 2025

His banter with deadpan Principal Woodman (John Sylvester White) and his loving, eye-rolling wife Julie (Marcia Strassman) brought the series full circle, blending schoolyard shenanigans with heartfelt adult comedy. —Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for schoolyard

• asgard
• backyard
• barnyard
• blackguard
• bombard
• brickyard
• canard
• churchyard
• coastguard
• courtyard
• debarred
• diehard

Kids Definition

schoolyard

noun

school·​yard

-ˌyärd

: the playground of a school