college
n. C / Un. a place where people go to study after they finish high school. You go here to get a degree or learn specific skills for a job.
n. an educational institution or an establishment providing higher education or specialized training. In American English, it is often used interchangeably with 'university' for undergraduate studies.
She wants to go to college to study history.
After graduating from high school, he applied to several local colleges to stay close to his family.
The local community college offers a diverse range of vocational courses designed to bridge the gap between secondary education and the professional workforce.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-der.? Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-der.? Proto-Italic *lēks Latin lēx Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin lēgō Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂ Proto-Italic *-ā Latin -a Latin collēga Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ium Latin collēgiumbor. Old French college Middle French collegebor. Middle English college English college From Middle English college, from Middle French college, from Old French college, from Latin collēgium. Doublet of collegium.
Often used without an article in British and American English when referring to the institution's purpose ('in college', 'at college').
I am going to the collegeI am going to collegeWhen talking about being a student there, use 'college' without 'the' — similar to 'school' or 'church'.