academy

Everyday

1. An academy is a school or college, often one that trains people in a special skill, such as music, dance, football or the police. tree →
2. In England an academy is a kind of state school paid for by the government but run by a trust instead of the local council. tree →
3. An academy can be a society of famous experts in science or art, such as a national academy of sciences. tree →
4. In ancient Greece the Academy was the school of the philosopher Plato. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life an academy is where you train: a football academy, a dance academy, a drama academy. UK children often go to schools with «Academy» in their names. In history lessons about ancient Greece you meet Plato's Academy. Phrases: football academy, police academy, the Royal Academy, an academy school, the Academy Awards (the Oscars).

Examples

• My cousin trains at a football academy on Saturdays. tree →
• Our school became an academy last year. tree →
• She won a place at a ballet academy. tree →
• Plato taught at the Academy in Athens. tree →
• The Academy of Sciences gave her a prize. tree →
• The Royal Academy shows paintings in London. tree →
• He wants to join the police academy when he grows up. tree →
• The film won three Academy Awards. tree →
• Holberg, Denmark's Moliere, founded here an academy for the sons of the nobles. tree →

Note

Countable: an academy (use «an»), two academies (y changes to ies). Pronounced «uh-KAD-uh-mee». Related word: «academic» (about school learning or university). Capital A when part of a name (Riverside Academy). Trap: in the US «academy» often means a private school; in England it is usually a state school with its own trust.