enrol
gb/ˈɛnɹoʊl/ us/ˈɛnɹoʊl/
B1
English
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
register to study at a school
to sign up officially to study somewhere
Usage pattern:
[someone] enrols (at [institution]) (in/on [course]); [someone] enrols [someone] (at [institution])
Common mistake:
In US English the usual spelling is enroll. Prepositions vary: enrol in/on a course, enrol at an institution.
Synonyms
register (More general and common across contexts.)
|
sign up (More informal.)
Antonyms
withdraw (Formally stop being a student or leave a course.)
|
drop out (Leave a course before finishing (more informal).)
Collocations
enrol at university
|enrol in a course
|enrol on a course
|enrol for classes
|enrol as a student
|enrol new students
|enrol a child at school
|enrol for the autumn term
|enrol online
|enrolment process
Themes
education
|training
|daily_life
Examples
- You can enrol online before you arrive on campus.
- She enrolled at the local college to retrain as a nurse.
- The school enrolled 120 new pupils this year.
Learner examples
- I enrolled in an English class.
- They enrolled their daughter at the school.
Verb
formal
B2
action
2
sign up for a plan or scheme
to join a programme or service officially
Usage pattern:
[someone] enrols (in) [scheme/plan/programme]; [someone] enrols [someone] in [scheme/plan/programme]
Common mistake:
Don’t use it for casual joining (e.g., clubs with no registration); in those cases join is more natural.
Synonyms
register (Neutral alternative in administrative contexts.)
|
join (More general; may be less official.)
Antonyms
cancel (Stop a plan or membership.)
|
opt out (Choose not to participate in a scheme.)
Collocations
enrol in a programme
|enrol in a scheme
|enrol in a plan
|enrol in the service
|enrol customers
|enrol users
|enrol eligible employees
|enrol automatically
|enrol in healthcare
|enrol in a pension
Themes
business
|government
|health
|technology
Examples
- Employees are automatically enrolled in the pension scheme unless they opt out.
- You need to enrol in the programme before the deadline.
- The clinic enrolled patients in a new support service.
Learner examples
- I enrolled in the health plan.
- She enrolled her father in the service.
Verb
technical
C1
action
3
recruit for a study or trial
to officially add people to a research study
Usage pattern:
[organisation/researchers] enrol [participants/patients] (in [study/trial])
Common mistake:
This use is common in medical and research writing; in everyday speech people often say recruit instead.
Synonyms
recruit (Focuses on finding people rather than formally registering them.)
Antonyms
exclude (Decide someone cannot take part.)
Collocations
enrol participants
|enrol patients
|enrol volunteers
|enrol subjects
|enrol in a trial
|enrol in a study
|enrol at multiple sites
|enrol eligible participants
|enrol rapidly
|enrolment target
Themes
research
|health
|science
Examples
- The researchers enrolled 300 participants across five hospitals.
- Only adults over 18 can be enrolled in the trial.
- The study aims to enrol patients with early-stage disease.
Learner examples
- The hospital enrolled patients in the study.
Verb
formal
C1
action
4
enlist in the armed forces
to join the military officially
Usage pattern:
[someone] enrols in [army/navy/air force]; [someone] enrols [someone] in [service]
Common mistake:
In modern everyday English, enlist is more common than enrol for this meaning.
Synonyms
enlist (The most common modern verb for joining the military.)
Antonyms
discharge (Officially release someone from military service.)
Collocations
enrol in the army
|enrol in the navy
|enrol for service
|enrol recruits
|enrol volunteers
|enrol in the forces
Themes
military
|government
Examples
- He enrolled in the army straight after finishing school.
- The regiment enrolled new recruits during the summer.
- Thousands enrolled for service at the start of the war.
Learner examples
- He enrolled in the army.
Grammar
Dictionary form
enrol
IPA
GB/ˈɛnɹoʊl/
US/ˈɛnɹoʊl/
Syllables & stress
en - rol (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (en)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: enrol
- 3rd Person Singular: enrols
- Present Participle: enroling
- Past: enroled
Word family
Forms
enrols
verb
enroling
verb
enroled
verb
Core family
enrolment
noun B1
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
disenrol
verb
Advanced or less common
reenrol
verb
Expressions
be enrolled in
1/bˈi ɪnɹˈoʊld ˈɪn/
fixed phrase
formal
be officially registered in something
to be officially in a course or programme
Examples
- She is enrolled in a part-time degree programme.
- Only patients who are enrolled in the scheme can receive the discount.
- He was enrolled in the trial for six months.
enrol at a school/university
1/ˈɛnɹoʊl ˈæt ə ʃˈulənɪvɚsɪti/
fixed phrase
register at an institution
to sign up officially at a school or university
Examples
- She enrolled at the university in September.
- International students must enrol at the main office first.
- He enrolled at a nearby college to study engineering.
enrol in a course
1/ˈɛnɹoʊl ˈɪn ə kˈɔɹs/
fixed phrase
register to take a course
to sign up for a course
Examples
- More than 200 students enrolled in the course this year.
- If you enrol in the programme now, you can start next month.
- He enrolled in an online coding class.
enrol on a course
1/ˈɛnɹoʊl ˈɔn ə kˈɔɹs/
fixed phrase
register to take a course
to sign up for a course
Examples
- I enrolled on a first-aid course last weekend.
- You can enrol on the course through the college website.
- She enrolled on a part-time evening class.