alumni

IPA/əˈlʌmnaɪ/
KK[əlˈʌmnˌaɪ]IPA/əˈlʌmnaɪ/

alumni — noun

1. people who were once students enrolled at the same place of learning, typically

1.nounB1
Definition

people who were once students enrolled at the same place of learning, typically after graduating or otherwise leaving that institution

Example

Bao and his classmates attended the alumni reunion at their old high school last spring.

collocation: alumni reunion

The music department invites its alumni to perform at the end-of-year concert.

Common collocations
  • alumni reunion
  • alumni association
  • alumni magazine
  • alumni network
  • alumni newsletter
Synonyms
  • graduates

    focuses on having completed a degree; more common in American English

  • former students

    broader — includes those who studied but did not graduate

  • alums

    informal shortened form; common in casual conversation

Antonyms

Usage Note

Alumni is the plural form. For a single male graduate, use alumnus; for a single female graduate, use alumna. Informal contexts sometimes use alum for either gender.

Common Mistakes

She is an alumni of National Taiwan University.
She is an alumna of National Taiwan University.
Alumni is plural; use alumna for a woman or alumnus for a man.
I visited my alumni last weekend.
I visited my alma mater last weekend.
Alumni refers to people, not the school building or campus.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Alumni specifically refers to people who attended a particular school and carries a strong sense of belonging to that institution. Graduates focuses on having completed a degree or diploma — someone who studied but did not finish is not a graduate but could still be an alumnus. Former students is the broadest term, covering anyone who studied there regardless of graduation status. Alums is an informal clipping used mainly in North American English, common in casual alumni-association communications. For example, a university might call its 'alumni fundraising drive' but refer to 'former students' when including exchange visitors who only studied for one semester.

graduates ↗former studentsalums ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • alumni association
  • alumni network
  • alumni office
  • alumni magazine

Prepositions

  • alumni of
  • alumni from

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Alumni is the plural of the Latin word alumnus, meaning 'foster child' or 'pupil,' itself from alere — 'to nourish' or 'to feed.' English adopted the term in the 1600s to refer to graduates of a school, treating the institution as a metaphorical parent that nurtured its students.