ENGLISH
REFERENCE

letterman

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɫɛtɝmən// let·ter·man

n. a student who earns a special cloth letter for being very good at a school sport. You usually wear this letter on a specific type of jacket to show your achievement.

n. a student who has met a specific standard of participation or performance on a varsity athletic team, earning the right to wear the school's institutional letter. Primarily used in the context of North American secondary and collegiate education.


SIMPLE

He became a letterman after his second year on the football team.

CONTEXTUAL

As a three-sport letterman, he was one of the most recognizable and respected athletes on the high school campus.

COMPLEX

The tradition of the letterman jacket serves as a visual hierarchy within the social fabric of American schools, signaling both athletic prowess and institutional loyalty.

Usage

Often used as a modifier in the phrase 'letterman jacket'.

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