underclassman

noun un·der·class·man \ ˌən-dər-ˈklas-mən \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Definition of underclassman

: a member of the freshman or sophomore class in a school or college

See underclassman defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of underclassman from the Web

Bailey plays a game uncommon for this summer basketball scene, a recruiting meat market attended by small-school college coaches in logo’d shirts as the state’s best underclassmen are thrown into a pot and assigned a team.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Damon Bailey's son Brayton thrives in dad's Indiana basketball shadow," 11 July 2018
Then, scholarships fall down to some underclassmen.

— curt hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Blake Wilcox picked up football last year, can connect from 60 yards and has an offer from Wisconsin," 26 June 2018
Others are outright falsehoods, possibly originating as pranks played on unsuspecting underclassmen.

— rachel leingang, azcentral, "Rooftop pools? Haunted buildings? 8 Arizona university myths debunked, confirmed," 20 June 2018
Another Hall of Famer, and every underclassman who gets drafted this year needs to thank Haywood.

— tim reynolds, chicagotribune.com, "The all-time NBA draft: The best pick from every slot," 20 June 2018
Missouri has 11 total players and recruits that could hear their name called, including a few key underclassmen who could turn pro.

— alex schiffer, kansascity, "How this week's MLB Draft could shape Missouri's baseball roster for next season," 4 June 2018
For sophomore Shannon Rhodes, using this disappointment to help guide the underclassmen and incoming freshmen is all that can be done.

— special to the oregonian, OregonLive.com, "Oregon Ducks' softball season ends with loss to Florida State at Women's College World Series," 3 June 2018
Elsewhere, Kentucky’s underclassmen were split, with Jarred Vanderbilt and Wenyen Gabriel turning pro and PJ Washington headed back to Lexington.

— jeremy woo, SI.com, "2018 NBA Draft Big Board 8.0: Top 100 Prospects After the Early Entry Deadline," 31 May 2018
Hudson and all underclassmen who put their name in for draft consideration and did not hire an agent have until Wednesday to make their decision to return to school or begin their professional career.

— jordan mcpherson, miamiherald, "Here's why Florida basketball's top scorer is returning to school for one more year," 29 May 2018

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