dormitory

dormitory — noun

1. a large room with many beds where a group of people sleep, especially in a summe

1.名詞B1
釋義

a large room with many beds where a group of people sleep, especially in a summer camp, school, hostel, or other institution

例句

The summer camp dormitory had twenty bunk beds lined up in neat rows.

collocation: bunk beds + dormitory

Aylin could hear someone snoring on the far side of the dormitory.

同義詞
  • dorm

    shortened form, very common in informal US English; can mean either the room or the building depending on context

  • bunkroom

    specifically a room with bunk beds, more common in hostels and camps; less formal than dormitory

  • sleeping hall

    a very general, less common term for a large sleep space; not associated with schools or universities

文法句型

dormitory + verb

in + a/the + dormitory

用法筆記

In American English this sense (a shared sleeping room) is less common than sense 2; speakers typically call the room a 'dorm room' and reserve 'dormitory' for the building. This sense is still widely used in British English and in the context of camps and boarding schools.

常見錯誤

❌I decorated my dormitory with posters and fairy lights.' (when referring to a single room)
✅I decorated my dorm room with posters and fairy lights.
💡In casual US English, 'dormitory' usually means the building; the private space inside is a 'dorm room.'

2. a building on a school or university campus where many students each have their

2.名詞B1
釋義

a building on a school or university campus where many students each have their own room or share a room and live during the academic year

例句

Camila lives in a university dormitory just a ten-minute walk from the science building.

collocation: university dormitory

The college built a new dormitory last year with private bathrooms for every two rooms.

同義詞
  • residence hall

    the preferred formal term in US universities; sounds more official and less old-fashioned than dormitory

  • hall of residence

    standard UK term; used on most British and Commonwealth university campuses

  • student housing

    a broader term that includes dormitories, apartments, and houses managed by the institution

文法句型

dormitory + verb

in/at + a/the + dormitory

dormitory + noun (as modifier)

用法筆記

Often shortened to 'dorm' in informal US speech. In UK universities the preferred formal terms are 'hall of residence' or 'student hall'; 'dormitory' is more likely to mean sense 1 in British English.

常見錯誤

❌I live in a hostel near campus.' (when you mean a university building)
✅I live in a dormitory near campus.
💡A 'hostel' is budget accommodation for travellers; a 'dormitory' is student housing owned by the school.
❌She is sleeping in the dormitory right now.' (ambiguous)
✅She is sleeping in her dorm room right now.
💡If you mean the individual room, specify 'dorm room' to avoid confusion with the whole building.