VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

a varsity letter

noun·AdvancedAmerican

Last updated

UK/ə ˈvɑː.sə.ti ˌlet.ər/
US/ə ˈvɑːr.sə.t̬i ˌlet̬.ɚ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountableAmerican

    An award, often a cloth patch in the school's colors, given to a student who plays on a school's top sports team.

    Grammar: Countable: you can earn one, two or several letters, so use 'a' or a number before it.

    Patterns

    • earn a varsity letter
    • win a varsity letter in something
    • a varsity letter in a sport

    She earned a varsity letter in swimming during her sophomore year.

    Only students who complete a full season on the top team can win a varsity letter.

    He keeps his varsity letter in a frame above his desk.

  2. nounsingularAmericaninformal

    The right or status of having played for a school's main team, shown by such an award.

    Grammar: Often used after 'have' or 'get' to mean the status itself rather than the cloth object.

    Patterns

    • have a varsity letter
    • get a varsity letter

    By senior year, most of the squad already had a varsity letter.

    Getting a varsity letter looks good on college applications.

Word forms

pluralvarsity letters

Common combinations

earn a varsity letter
You have to finish the whole season to earn a varsity letter.
a varsity letter in track
He got a varsity letter in track and field.
a varsity letter jacket
She wore her varsity letter jacket to the game.
award a varsity letter
The coach awards a varsity letter at the end-of-year ceremony.
varsity letter winner
The team had twelve varsity letter winners this year.

Synonyms and how they differ

school colors
A British idea of the same reward, usually a tie or badge in the school's colors rather than a letter.
athletic award
A wider term for any sports prize; a varsity letter is specifically for playing on the top school team.

Word family

varsity adjective
relating to a school's or university's main team, as in 'the varsity squad'.
varsity noun
the main team of a school or university, especially in American English.

Commonly confused: a varsity letter or university letter?

a varsity letter vs university letter

Not a standard phrase; in the US the word is 'varsity letter', and in Britain people say 'school colors' or 'first-team colors'.

Practice

Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “a varsity letter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words