YMCA

noun

ˌwī-ˌem-(ˌ)sē-ˈā 

: an international organization that promotes the spiritual, intellectual, social, and physical welfare originally of young men

—usually used with the

a member of the YMCA

—sometimes shortened informally to the Y

Examples of YMCA in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Spending just over $3.7 million to refurbish the former YMCA at the northwest corner of County and Clayton streets, the building will have apartments on the upper floors and 6,700 square feet of commercial space. —Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025

Stop by: 3024 North Davidson St., across from the Johnston YMCA. —Alexis Clinton, Axios, 3 Mar. 2025

Colyer recalled learning to swim through a program at YMCA in Liberty City that would take Black children to Greenbook hotels that had pools. —Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2025

See: the Greek palaestra, Turkish baths, the YMCA, the contemporary preponderance of workout-minded meetups. —Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Young Men's Christian Association

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

YMCA

noun

ˌwī-ˌem-(ˌ)sē-ˈā 

: an international organization that promotes the spiritual, intellectual, social, and physical welfare originally of young Christian men

Etymology

Young Men's Christian Association