1
as in student
one who attends a school
generally there are 20 pupils in each class
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in adherent
one who follows the opinions or teachings of another
to pupils of the philosopher Henry David Thoreau, the shores of Walden Pond are hallowed ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pupil
This puts New York City on par with Denver, which spends half as much per pupil, and Clark County, Nevada, which spends one-third as much.
—
Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
Sometimes a person opens the top of their skull to reach inside; in her painting Threading the Story Through the Eye of a Needle (circa 1974), a hand pulls a line of thread through a pupil, towing two tiny people in a boat, suggesting both sight and an idea made manifest.
—Nicole Rudick, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
The star pupil who will likely only get better.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Each child who enrolls in Success Academy will draw in state per-pupil dollars with them, redirecting funding away from the district.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pupil
Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
Sometimes a person opens the top of their skull to reach inside; in her painting Threading the Story Through the Eye of a Needle (circa 1974), a hand pulls a line of thread through a pupil, towing two tiny people in a boat, suggesting both sight and an idea made manifest.
—Nicole Rudick, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
The star pupil who will likely only get better.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Each child who enrolls in Success Academy will draw in state per-pupil dollars with them, redirecting funding away from the district.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pupil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pupil
Noun
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Messages sent to campus communities at the University of California, California State University, Stanford University and the Los Angeles Community College District said students, staff and faculty were affected.—
Jaweed Kaleem,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
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What are the top 3 issues facing schools and students in San Diego County?—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Scientology is a religious group shrouded in privacy that has garnered attention for its celebrity adherents, including Tom Cruise and John Travolta.—
Joe Kottke,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
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He’d been struck that the Milwaukee branch of the adherents to his cause were forever boasting about their superior sanitation systems.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Detailed look at 1814 British attack on our nation’s capital, with Denver Brunsman, associate professor of history at George Washington University, lecturer at Mount Vernon, and scholar of the American revolution and early American republic.—
Staff Report,
Baltimore Sun,
6 May 2026
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Whatever scholars might assume from the etymology, Morrison said the word’s origins reveal little about the Pharisees besides their existence as a distinct group.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
Noun
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The Kyle Shanahan disciple understands that a strong run game is a rookie quarterback’s best friend.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Then last June, the Nuggets snatched Wallace back from Minnesota, hiring him as their new co-general manager alongside his friend Ben Tenzer — another longtime Connelly disciple who’d been a steady hand behind the scenes in Denver’s front office since 2013.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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TikTok followers watched along as Jessica Kayll, who designs colorful silk robes, finished painting her dress in the days leading up to the gala.—
Beatrice Dupuy,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
-
By then, Church had a band of followers.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pupil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pupil. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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