alma mater
noun
al·ma ma·ter
ˌal-mə-ˈmä-tər 
1
: a school, college, or university which one has attended or from which one has graduated
went to a class reunion at his alma mater
2
: the song or hymn of a school, college, or university
"Hey, Harvard boy, sing your alma mater!" shouted an obnoxious producer.—
Phil Kloer
Phil KloerExamples of alma mater in a Sentence
I visited my old alma mater last week.
Recent Examples on the Web
Meanwhile, on a much higher plane of achievement, a sibling trio of Morehouse and Spelman grads just donated $2 million to their alma maters.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 18 May 2026
Key Background The donation comes just 10 days after Stevens announced a separate $200 million gift to his own alma mater, USC—where the School of Advanced Computing within the Viterbi School of Engineering will be renamed the Mark and Mary Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
—Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Matthew McConaughey sat before a roomful of aspiring young actors and filmmakers this February at his alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 May 2026
So much of that time has been spent around a baseball diamond, with Todd coaching 16 years at their alma mater before moving to Stoneman Douglas in 2011.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2026
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Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 18 May 2026
Key Background The donation comes just 10 days after Stevens announced a separate $200 million gift to his own alma mater, USC—where the School of Advanced Computing within the Viterbi School of Engineering will be renamed the Mark and Mary Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
—Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Matthew McConaughey sat before a roomful of aspiring young actors and filmmakers this February at his alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 May 2026
So much of that time has been spent around a baseball diamond, with Todd coaching 16 years at their alma mater before moving to Stoneman Douglas in 2011.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for alma mater
Cite this Entry
“Alma mater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alma%20mater. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
alma mater
noun
al·ma ma·ter
ˌal-mə-ˈmät-ər
: a school, college, or university that one has attended
Etymology
Latin, literally "fostering mother," from almus "nourishing" (from alire "to nourish") and mater "mother" — related to alimentary, maternal
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