classmate

classmate — noun

1. a person who shares a class with you and learns together at school

1.nounA2
Definition

a person who shares a class with you and learns together at school

Example

My classmate Priya helped me with my maths homework after school.

possessive determiner + classmate (my classmate)

Leila invited all her classmates to her birthday party on Saturday.

classmate as plural object of invitation

Common collocations
  • close classmate
  • former classmate
  • old classmate
  • new classmate
  • childhood classmate
Synonyms
  • schoolmate

    broader meaning — someone at the same school, not necessarily in your class

  • fellow student

    more formal; often used for university or college contexts

  • peer

    broadest meaning — anyone of similar age or status, not limited to school

Common Mistakes

She is my classmate, but we are in different classes.
She is a schoolmate from my school, but we are in different classes.
'classmate' means someone in the exact same class, not just the same school.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Classmate, schoolmate, fellow student, and peer all refer to people you know through education, but their scope differs. Classmate is the most specific — it means someone who shares the exact same class or course group with you at school. Schoolmate is broader: someone at the same school but not necessarily in your class. Fellow student is more formal and common in college or university settings. Peer is the widest term — anyone of similar age or social status, not limited to school. For example: 'My classmate Yara sits next to me in English class.' 'Tomás was a schoolmate from elementary school, though we were in different classes.' 'Fellow student' fits official contexts: 'Dr. Okafor was a fellow student in my graduate programme.' 'Peer' is used in social or psychological contexts: 'Teenagers are strongly influenced by their peers.'

classmate ↗schoolmatefellow studentpeer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • former classmate
  • old classmate
  • childhood classmate
  • high-school classmate

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishEnglish

Classmate is formed by combining 'class' (from Latin 'classis', meaning a division or group of citizens) and 'mate' (from Old English 'gemetta', meaning a companion at table or a fellow diner). The compound appeared in the late 1600s with the meaning 'a companion in the same school class.'