1
: a person older than another
five years my senior
2
a
: a person with higher standing or rank
b
: a senior fellow of a college at an English university
c
: a student in the year preceding graduation from a school of secondary or higher level
3
capitalized
: a member of a program of the Girl Scouts for girls in the 9th through 12th grades in school
4
1
: of prior birth, establishment, or enrollment
—often used to distinguish a father with the same given name as his son
2
: higher ranking : superior
senior officers
3
: of, relating to, or intended for seniors
a senior center
4
: having a claim on corporate assets and income prior to other securities
Synonyms
Examples of senior in a Sentence
Noun
As his senior, she commanded quite a bit of respect.
She was his senior in rank.
high school juniors and seniors
Adjective
the senior vice president of marketing
She is a senior aide to the president.
a senior editor for the magazine
He recently became a senior partner in the accounting firm.
the men's senior baseball league
Recent Examples on the Web
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024
Since its launch, the Waymon Webster Scholarship Program has awarded over $1 million in scholarships to more than 100 graduating seniors, empowering students to achieve their dreams despite financial barriers.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 24 Dec. 2024
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Dec. 2024
Against this scenario, Boeing must also cope with the loss of senior engineering talent critical to the creation of a new airplane, many of whom are departing due to layoffs or greener pastures in other parts of aerospace, such as space or electric air vehicles.
—Jerrold Lundquist, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for senior 
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Noun
But nearly twice as many seniors were taking the SAT.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024
Since its launch, the Waymon Webster Scholarship Program has awarded over $1 million in scholarships to more than 100 graduating seniors, empowering students to achieve their dreams despite financial barriers.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
Earlier this month, senior defense officials acknowledged that the Defense Department may not be able to send all of the remaining $5.6 billion in Pentagon weapons and equipment stocks passed by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Dec. 2024
Against this scenario, Boeing must also cope with the loss of senior engineering talent critical to the creation of a new airplane, many of whom are departing due to layoffs or greener pastures in other parts of aerospace, such as space or electric air vehicles.
—Jerrold Lundquist, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for senior
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Dictionary Entries Near senior
Cite this Entry
“Senior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/senior. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
senior
1 of 2 noun
se·nior
ˈsē-nyər 
1
: a person who is older than another
five years my senior
2
a
: a person with higher standing or rank
b
: a student in the final year of high school or college
senior
2 of 2 adjective1
: being older
—used to distinguish a father from a son with the same name
John Doe, Senior
2
: higher ranking
senior officers
the senior partner of the law firm
3
: of or relating to seniors in an educational institution
the senior class
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