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classmate

classmate

179 1.0
A person in the same class at school or university
  • noun
  • /ˈklæsˌmeɪt/
translation icon : compañero de clase
  • Here, a student writer reads his or her draft to a classmate or a group of classmates.
  • friends and classmates
  • instructor and classmates
  • tell classmates

Or maybe Christopher Hawk is my classmate in London.

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Examples

  • I know him because we were high school classmates in the Bronx.

  • Then I noticed that my classmates were still in the parking area, standing and staring in my direction.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I ran into an old acting classmate.

  • Boys and Girls, today I want you to meet your new classmate.

  • Where I also had the chance to help a classmate of mine pass his Philosophy of Art final in our junior year.

  • Ms. Hart was a classmate of yours in law school?

  • And for that, I need to thank my classmate and occasional rival.

  • Many students are less timid about seeking assistance from a classmate than from the teacher.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Guys, I'm here with my classmates from esthetician school.

  • My classmate and I worked together on our science project.

Synonyms

schoolmate
vsclassmate
17 1.0

A person who goes to the same school as you at the same time

is narrower, referring to being in the same class rather than just the same school
schoolfellow
vsclassmate
  • UK
1 5.2

A person who goes to the same school as you

is focused on being in the same class rather than just the same school
class fellow
vsclassmate
  • Indian
2.7

A person who is in the same class at school or university as you

is the single-word form used more commonly in modern usage
compañero
vsclassmate
7.6

A person who studies with you in the same class

is narrower, meaning someone in the same class rather than any fellow student
classman
vsclassmate
4.6

A student in the same class at school or college

is limited to being in the same class rather than the same year

Surface Forms

classmate singular
classmates plural

Morphology

classmate = class + mate (transparent) = class + mate

The meaning is directly derived from the clear combination of 'class' + 'mate' to mean a fellow member of the same class.

Etymology

The word classmate joins class ('a group of students') and mate ('friend' or 'companion'). So a classmate is simply someone in the same class who studies or spends time with you.