alums

IPA/ˈaləmz/
KK[ˈæləmz]IPA/ˈæləmz/

alums — noun

1. An informal, gender-neutral shortened version of "alumnus" or "alumna," used for

1.nounB1
Definition

An informal, gender-neutral shortened version of "alumnus" or "alumna," used for a former student of an educational institution.

Example

As a proud alum of Roosevelt High, Amina volunteers at the school's annual career fair.

pattern: alum of [institution]

The university magazine profiles one notable alum in each issue, highlighting their career achievements.

Common collocations
  • proud alum
  • notable alum
  • fellow alum
  • alum of
  • alums from
Synonyms
  • graduate

    more formal and specific to someone who completed a degree

  • former student

    more neutral and descriptive; does not require graduation

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

alum + of + [institution]

an alum from + [institution]

[institution] alum

Usage Note

Alum is gender-neutral — it replaces both alumnus (masculine) and alumna (feminine). The plural alums is increasingly preferred over alumni/alumnae in informal and inclusive contexts, especially in U.S. usage.

Common Mistakes

She is an alumni of Stanford.
She is an alum of Stanford.
Alumni is plural; alum is the singular form.
The school has many famous alum.
The school has many famous alums.
Use the plural alums for more than one person.
He is an alumna of Yale.
He is an alum of Yale.
Alumna is specifically feminine; alum is gender-neutral.

2. A shortened form of "alumnus" used for someone who used to work for a particular

2.nounB2
Definition

A shortened form of "alumnus" used for someone who used to work for a particular organisation, appear on a television show, or play for a sports team at an earlier point in their life.

Example

Dr. Okonkwo worked on three Mars rover missions and is a proud NASA alum.

pattern: alum of [organisation]

The reality show brought back famous alums from past seasons to compete one more time.

Common collocations
  • company alum
  • show alum
  • team alum
  • alum of
  • fellow alums
Synonyms
  • former member

    more general and transparent in meaning

  • ex-employee

    specifically for workplace contexts, slightly more formal

Antonyms
  • current member

    someone still working for or involved with the organisation

Grammar Patterns

alum + of + [organisation/show/team]

[organisation] alum

Usage Note

This sense extends the school-based meaning of alumnus to any institution, show, or team an individual was part of. In American English it is now common to call someone a "Microsoft alum" or a "Saturday Night Live alum" even if they never formally enrolled as a student there.

Common Mistakes

He is an alum of the company since 2019.
He is an alum of the company
he left in 2021.' — Alum implies a past association, not a current one.
The show's current cast includes several alums from last season.
The show's current cast includes several people who previously appeared in earlier seasons.
Alum usually refers to someone who has left, not someone still involved.

alums — noun

1. A naturally occurring or manufactured compound that contains aluminium, used esp

1.nounB2
Definition

A naturally occurring or manufactured compound that contains aluminium, used especially in traditional dyeing to make colour last on fabric, and in some skin-care or medical products for its ability to dry or tighten the skin.

Example

The dyer added alum to hot water so the indigo would stick to cotton fibres.

collocation: alum as fixing agent in dyeing

Takuya dabbed a small alum block onto his shaving nick to stop the bleeding.

collocation: alum block for aftershave

Common collocations
  • crystals of alum
  • powdered alum
  • alum block
  • alum as a mordant
  • dissolve alum
Synonyms
  • potassium alum

    the most common specific form of alum; a precise chemical term

  • aluminium sulfate

    a broader chemical category that includes some alums; used in industrial contexts

Grammar Patterns

alum as uncountable mass noun

countable: types or crystals of alum

Usage Note

Frequency determines countability: as a general substance alum is uncountable ("Alum is used in dyeing"), but distinct types or crystal formations are countable ("several alums were tested", "beautiful alums grew in the jar").

Common Mistakes

Alum is a metal like iron.
Alum is a compound that contains aluminium, not a metal itself.
Alum is a salt, not an element.
The recipe needs aluminum.
The recipe needs alum.
Alum and aluminium (aluminum) are different substances.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/A/1

Alum is an informal, gender-neutral shortening of alumnus or alumna, commonly used in American English to refer to someone who attended or graduated from a school. Graduate is more formal and specifically implies the completion of a degree — a person can be an alum without having graduated (e.g., someone who attended college for two years). Former student is the most general and neutral option, suitable for any educational context but less natural in the alumni-association sense. Alumnus (masculine) and alumna (feminine) are the traditional Latin terms still used in formal contexts, but they are increasingly replaced by alums (plural) in everyday speech. For example, "She's a Harvard alum" sounds more natural in casual conversation than "She's a Harvard alumna," while "a high school graduate" is more natural than "a high school alum" in formal writing.

alumgraduate ↗former studentalumnus ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • alum association
  • alum network
  • alum event
  • alum magazine

Phrases

  • proud alum of
  • fellow alum from

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'alum' in English represents two different historical roots that happen to be spelled the same. The chemical sense comes from Latin 'alumen' (meaning 'the salt'), which entered Middle English around the 13th century. The personal sense is a much later clipping — in late-19th-century American English, speakers began shortening 'alumnus' (Latin for 'foster son') and 'alumna' ('foster daughter') to 'alum,' and later formed the plural 'alums' as a gender-neutral alternative to 'alumni' and 'alumnae.' The two words are true homographs: unrelated in origin, sharing only their modern spelling.