dormitory

dormitory — noun

1. a large room with many beds where a group of people sleep, especially in a summe

1.nounB1
Definition

a large room with many beds where a group of people sleep, especially in a summer camp, school, hostel, or other institution

Example

The summer camp dormitory had twenty bunk beds lined up in neat rows.

collocation: bunk beds + dormitory

Aylin could hear someone snoring on the far side of the dormitory.

Common collocations
  • shared dormitory
  • sleep in a dormitory
  • dormitory bed
  • bunk in a dormitory
Synonyms
  • dorm

    shortened form, very common in informal US English; can mean either the room or the building depending on context

  • bunkroom

    specifically a room with bunk beds, more common in hostels and camps; less formal than dormitory

  • sleeping hall

    a very general, less common term for a large sleep space; not associated with schools or universities

Grammar Patterns

dormitory + verb

in + a/the + dormitory

Usage Note

In American English this sense (a shared sleeping room) is less common than sense 2; speakers typically call the room a 'dorm room' and reserve 'dormitory' for the building. This sense is still widely used in British English and in the context of camps and boarding schools.

Common Mistakes

I decorated my dormitory with posters and fairy lights.' (when referring to a single room)
I decorated my dorm room with posters and fairy lights.
In casual US English, 'dormitory' usually means the building; the private space inside is a 'dorm room.'

2. a building on a school or university campus where many students each have their

2.nounB1
Definition

a building on a school or university campus where many students each have their own room or share a room and live during the academic year

Example

Camila lives in a university dormitory just a ten-minute walk from the science building.

collocation: university dormitory

The college built a new dormitory last year with private bathrooms for every two rooms.

Common collocations
  • university dormitory
  • college dormitory
  • live in a dormitory
  • dormitory building
  • dormitory life
  • dormitory rules
Synonyms
  • residence hall

    the preferred formal term in US universities; sounds more official and less old-fashioned than dormitory

  • hall of residence

    standard UK term; used on most British and Commonwealth university campuses

  • student housing

    a broader term that includes dormitories, apartments, and houses managed by the institution

Grammar Patterns

dormitory + verb

in/at + a/the + dormitory

dormitory + noun (as modifier)

Usage Note

Often shortened to 'dorm' in informal US speech. In UK universities the preferred formal terms are 'hall of residence' or 'student hall'; 'dormitory' is more likely to mean sense 1 in British English.

Common Mistakes

I live in a hostel near campus.' (when you mean a university building)
I live in a dormitory near campus.
A 'hostel' is budget accommodation for travellers; a 'dormitory' is student housing owned by the school.
She is sleeping in the dormitory right now.' (ambiguous)
She is sleeping in her dorm room right now.
If you mean the individual room, specify 'dorm room' to avoid confusion with the whole building.

Word family

  • dorm
    nounB1
  • dorm room
    nounB1
  • dormmate
    nounB2
  • dormitory town
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

'Dormitory' is the standard US term for a university student-housing building. 'Dorm' is an informal shortening used mostly in spoken American English ('I'm heading back to the dorm'). 'Residence hall' is the formal US alternative preferred by universities themselves — it avoids the old-fashioned, institutional feel of 'dormitory.' In the UK and Commonwealth, 'hall of residence' (or simply 'hall') is the normal term; using 'dormitory' in Britain would make you sound American. 'Boarding house' is something different — a private home where a tenant rents a room with meals included, unrelated to a university campus. When in doubt, match the register and region: use 'residence hall' for formal US writing, 'hall' for UK student conversation, and 'dorm' for casual American chat.

dormitory ↗dormresidence hallhall of residenceboarding house

Common collocations

Nouns

  • dormitory building
  • dormitory room
  • dormitory life
  • dormitory rules
  • dormitory fees

Phrases

  • live in a dormitory
  • move into a dormitory
  • dormitory-style accommodation

Prepositions

  • in a dormitory
  • at a dormitory
  • out of the dormitory
  • back to the dormitory

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Latin 'dormitorium' (a place for sleeping), derived from the verb 'dormire' (to sleep). The word entered English through Old French 'dormitoir' in the 1400s. At first it meant any sleeping room in a monastery or boarding school. By the 1800s, as universities grew, the word expanded to describe whole buildings where students live. The informal short form 'dorm' appeared in American English in the early 1900s.