freshman

/ˈfrɛʃmən/

/ˈfrɛʃmɪn/

Other forms: freshmen

A freshman is a student in her first year of high school or college. Being a college freshman can be a little overwhelming — it's a huge change in most people's lives.

Sometimes a freshman is called a "first-year student," a term that isn't so gender-specific. However, you can also use the word freshman for a a boy or a girl. Sometimes, rather than school, a freshman is new at something else: in the US Senate, first-timers are frequently called "freshman senators." The word combines the "inexperienced" sense of fresh with man, or "person."

Definitions of freshman

1. noun

   a first-year undergraduate
   synonyms: fresher

   type of:

   lowerclassman, underclassman

   an undergraduate who is not yet a senior
2. noun

   a participant with no experience with an activity
   synonyms: entrant, fledgeling, fledgling, neophyte, newbie, newcomer, starter

   types:

   enlistee, recruit

   any new member or supporter (as in the armed forces)

   type of:

   beginner, initiate, novice, tiro, tyro

   someone new to a field or activity
3. adjective

   used of a person in the first year of an experience (especially in United States high school or college)
   “a freshman senator”

   “freshman year in high school or college”

   synonyms: first-year

   first

   preceding all others in time or space or degree