candy-striper

Meaning

1. 1nouncountableAmericaninformalold-fashioned

   A young volunteer, usually a teenage girl, who assists in a hospital and wears a red-and-white striped uniform.

   Grammar: Countable: one candy-striper, two candy-stripers.

   Patterns

   • work as a candy-striper
   • a candy-striper at a hospital

   My older sister spent the summer as a candy-striper at the local hospital.

   The hospital's candy-striper program gave teenagers a chance to help patients.

   She wore the traditional red-and-white stripes of a candy-striper.

Word forms

Common combinations

work as a candy-striper

He worked as a candy-striper during his school holidays.

candy-striper program

The hospital's candy-striper program was popular in the 1960s.

candy-striper uniform

She put on her candy-striper uniform before her shift.

Synonyms and how they differ

volunteer

Volunteer is a general term for anyone who works without pay; candy-striper is a specific historical type of teenage hospital volunteer.

aide

An aide is a paid or unpaid helper, often in a care setting; candy-striper is narrower and old-fashioned.

Word family

candy stripe noun

A pattern of red and white stripes, like on a candy cane.

Commonly confused: candy-striper or candy cane?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “candy-striper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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