# letterman

/ˈɫɛtɝmən/ (US) · CEFR B2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/letterman
Updated: 2026-05-08

## Definition

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.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- He became a letterman after his second year on the football team.
- As a three-sport letterman, he was one of the most recognizable and respected athletes on the high school campus.
- 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 notes

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

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.