reform school

noun

: a reformatory for boys or girls

Examples of reform school in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
When Hattie’s grandson, Elwood Curtis, is unjustly charged with car theft, he’s sent to the Nickel Academy, a brutal reform school based on the real-life Dozier School in Florida where, in 2013, skeletons of Black boys were discovered in unmarked graves. Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2024 Nickel Boys brings the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about two friends surviving a Florida reform school together to the screen. Fred Topel, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2024 The boys endure abuse at the reform school and Ross does not shy away from depicting it. Fred Topel, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2024 Most notably, the adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, about two young Black men bonded by the horrific experience of being stuck in a 1960s reform school in Florida, will split the titular roles between two categories. Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for reform school 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reform school was circa 1859

Dictionary Entries Near reform school

Cite this Entry

“Reform school.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reform%20school. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

reform school

noun
: a reformatory for boys or girls

Legal Definition

reform school

noun
: a reformatory for boys or girls

More from Merriam-Webster on reform school

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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