school friend — classmate
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
someone you became friends with while you were both students at the same school.
Say it like a native
Textbook He is a former associate from my educational years.
Native He's an old school friend.
'School friend' is plain and warm; 'associate from my educational years' is cold.
Pattern: school friend (noun)
In use
- I met my oldest school friend when we were both in Year 7.daily life
- One of my closest school friends still lives in my hometown, so we meet up whenever I visit.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She's my friend of school.
✓ She's a school friend of mine. / a friend from school.
Say 'a friend from school' or 'a school friend', not 'friend of school'.
Common collocations
school friend + context— an old school friend, a friend from school, school friends, best friend at school
Don't confuse it
'School friend' is more specific than 'friend' and is different from 'university friend' or 'work friend'.