Word.ws English Dictionary

Oxbridge

/ˈɒks.bɹɪd͡ʒ/US/ˈɑks.bɹɪd͡ʒ/

Oxbridge proper noun: the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge collectively.

Proper noun (1)

Oxbridge

  1. (UK) The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge collectively.
    • On the previous night he had taken the manuscript out of a long neglected chest, containing old shooting jackets, old Oxbridge scribbling books, his old surplice, and battered cap and gown, and other memorials of youth, school, and home.1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter III, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume II, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC
    • "Of course she is clever," said Mrs. Pope. "Or we shouldn't have sent her to Oxbridge. There she's doing quite well—quite well. Everyone says so. I don't know, of course, if Mr. Magnet will let her finish there."1912, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, Marriage, London: Macmillan and Co., Limited […], →OCLC, book the first (Marjorie Marries), page 152
    Synonyms:
    Camford

Adjective

Oxbridge (not generally comparable, comparative more Oxbridge, superlative most Oxbridge)

  1. (not comparable, usually) Of or related to Oxbridge.
    • The applicants are mostly Oxbridge, so you'd better watch out.
  2. (comparable, not comparable, usually) Evoking the idea of Oxbridge.
    • We ate a formal dinner at high table after the service. It all felt very Oxbridge.

Proper noun (2)

Oxbridge

  1. (UK, informal, predicative, usually) A hamlet in Netherbury parish, west Dorset, England (OS grid ref SY4797).
  2. (UK, informal, predicative, usually) A suburb of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England (OS grid ref NZ4318).

Synonyms of Oxbridge

Forms of Oxbridge

comparativemore Oxbridge
superlativemost Oxbridge

Origin of Oxbridge

Blend of Oxford + Cambridge.

Words formed from Oxbridge

Questions about Oxbridge

What does Oxbridge mean?
Oxbridge means the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge collectively.
What part of speech is Oxbridge?
Oxbridge can be a proper noun or an adjective.
How do you pronounce Oxbridge?
Oxbridge is pronounced /ˈɒks.bɹɪd͡ʒ/ (UK).

Words near Oxbridge in the dictionary

  1. Oxborrow
  2. oxbow
  3. oxbow lake
  4. oxbow lakes
  5. oxbows
  6. Oxbridge
  7. Oxbridger
  8. Oxbridgers
  9. Oxbridgey
  10. Oxbridgian
  11. Oxbridgians

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Oxbridge (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Oxbridge.wav.

Cite this entry: “Oxbridge.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/oxbridge. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.