academy

IPA/əˈkædəmi/
KK[əkˈædəmi]IPA/əˈkædəmi/

academy — noun

  • academysingular
  • academiesplural

1. a place where people study one specific subject in depth, or a group set up to s

1.nounB2
Definition

a place where people study one specific subject in depth, or a group set up to support and promote a field such as music, painting, or science.

Example

Sofia spent two years at a small drama academy in Madrid.

pattern: at a [field] academy

The Royal Academy of Arts is hosting an exhibition of student paintings this month.

pattern: Academy of [field]

Common collocations
  • drama academy
  • police academy
  • military academy
  • academy of sciences
  • academy of fine arts
Synonyms
  • institute

    more general; often focused on research as well as teaching

  • conservatory

    narrower; specifically for music, dance, or drama

  • society

    a group of experts, but without the teaching role

Grammar Patterns

academy of [field]

[name] Academy

Usage Note

Often capitalised when part of a proper name (the Royal Academy, the French Academy). The word can refer either to a training place or to a learned body, so context usually shows which one is meant.

Common Mistakes

I study at an academy of English.
I study at a language academy.
'academy of [field]' usually pairs with art, music, or science, not with a single language.

2. a section inside a sports club where talented children and teenagers are coached

2.nounB2
Definition

a section inside a sports club where talented children and teenagers are coached so that they have a chance of joining the senior team one day.

Example

Diego signed for the Barcelona academy when he was only nine years old.

pattern: sign for / join the [club] academy

Three players from the youth academy will start tonight's match against Liverpool.

collocation: youth academy

Common collocations
  • youth academy
  • academy graduate
  • academy player
  • academy product
  • club academy
Synonyms
  • youth team

    everyday equivalent; less formal than 'academy'

  • youth setup

    British football journalism; covers the whole youth structure

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the academy

[club name] academy

Usage Note

Usually preceded by 'the' or by a club's name. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense always sits inside a sports club and trains young players, never adults learning a new field.

Common Mistakes

He plays in the academy team of his country.
He plays for his country's youth team.
'academy' here belongs to a club, not a national side.

3. in England, a state-funded school that takes its budget straight from the nation

3.nounC1
Definition

in England, a state-funded school that takes its budget straight from the national government instead of from the council, and so has more freedom over how it is run.

Example

Mossdale Primary became an academy in 2018 and changed its uniform soon after.

pattern: become / convert to an academy

Parents in the village worried that turning the school into an academy would cut music lessons.

Common collocations
  • academy trust
  • academy chain
  • convert to an academy
  • academy status
  • sponsor academy
Synonyms
  • free school

    another English type with similar freedoms but newly built

  • state school

    broader category that includes both academies and council-run schools

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

[name] Academy

Usage Note

Specific to England; in Scotland and the US the word refers to a different kind of school (see sense 4). Often appears in the plural ('academies') when newspapers discuss education policy.

Common Mistakes

My daughter goes to an academy in Germany.
My daughter goes to a private school in Germany.
this sense of 'academy' is an English legal category, not a worldwide school type.

4. a high school in Scotland, or, in the US, a private school that learners attend

4.nounC1
Definition

a high school in Scotland, or, in the US, a private school that learners attend after primary education, often with a strong focus on preparing them for college.

Example

Iona walks to Dunblane Academy with her younger brother every weekday morning.

Scottish: secondary school named '[place] Academy'

Phillips Academy in Massachusetts charges over fifty thousand dollars a year.

American: private boarding-style 'academy'

Common collocations
  • private academy
  • girls' academy
  • boys' academy
  • naval academy
  • boarding academy
Synonyms
  • high school

    everyday US equivalent for the public version, but 'academy' often signals private status

  • prep school

    narrower US term; specifically prepares students for university

  • secondary school

    neutral British/Scottish term

Grammar Patterns

[name] Academy

Usage Note

Most common as part of a proper name. American 'academy' is private and fee-paying; Scottish 'academy' is a normal state secondary school. A learner needs the surrounding country clue to read the word correctly.

Common Mistakes

In Scotland, an academy is an expensive private school.
In Scotland, an academy is just an ordinary secondary school.
confusing the Scottish use with the American use.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words name a place where people study or where experts gather, but they differ in scope and prestige. 'School' is the everyday term and covers any teaching place, from a children's classroom to a driving school. 'College' usually refers to higher education in the US or to one part of a university in the UK. 'Institute' often signals a focus on research as well as teaching, and frequently appears in technical or scientific contexts (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). 'Conservatory' is narrow and specific: it is reserved for music, dance, or drama. 'Academy' sits between these — more specialised than 'school', less research-heavy than 'institute', and broader than 'conservatory'. Compare 'a music school' (anyone can attend), 'a music conservatory' (formal, professional training), and 'a music academy' (somewhere in between, often with a famous name attached).

academy ↗institute ↗school ↗college ↗conservatory ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • academy student
  • academy member
  • academy graduate
  • academy award

Phrases

  • join an academy
  • found an academy
  • study at an academy
  • elected to the academy

Prepositions

  • at an academy
  • in an academy
  • academy of [field]
  • from the academy

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'academy' goes back to the Greek 'Akadēmeia', the name of an olive grove just outside ancient Athens where the philosopher Plato taught his students from around 387 BCE. The grove itself was named after a local hero, Akademos. Through Latin 'academia' and French 'académie', the word entered English in the 1500s, first meaning a place of advanced learning, then later widening to cover any specialist school, learned society, or training centre.