Meaning & use
a candy striper
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableAmericanold-fashioned
A young volunteer, usually a teenager, who helps in a hospital.
Grammar: Countable; you can say 'a candy striper' or 'two candy stripers'.
Patterns
- work as a candy striper
- volunteer as a candy striper
She spent her summer as a candy striper at the local hospital, delivering flowers to patients.
My grandmother was a candy striper when she was sixteen.
The hospital no longer uses the term candy striper; they call them volunteers now.
Word forms
| plural | candy stripers |
|---|
Common combinations
- work as a candy striper
- He worked as a candy striper during his school holidays.
- a teenage candy striper
- A teenage candy striper brought me a glass of water.
- volunteer as a candy striper
- She decided to volunteer as a candy striper at the children's hospital.
Synonyms and how they differ
- volunteer
- A general word for someone who works without pay; 'candy striper' specifically means a young hospital volunteer and is now less common.
- hospital volunteer
- A neutral, current term that hospitals prefer today; it does not suggest the person is a teenager.
Commonly confused: a candy striper or candy stripe?
a candy striper vs candy stripe
Refers to the striped uniform itself, not the person; a candy striper wears a candy stripe.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'candy striper' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A candy striper is a young hospital volunteer, so the sentence about a teenager volunteering fits. The other options describe a doctor, a candy, or a machine, which are not what the word means.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a candy striper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.