colleague vs. peer
– B1-B2 (intermediate) –
Practice Your Listening Comprehension
Practice Your Reading Comprehension
It is a common mistake among English learners to use the word, “colleague,” instead of “peer.” These words do not mean the same thing.
COLLEAGUE
In Canadian English, “colleague” typically means:
(formal) a person you work with (i.e., a coworker)
(Business English) a person who works in the same industry as you
PEER
In Canadian English, “peer” typically means:
(standard) a person you share a similar life experience with (e.g., age, gender, neighbourhood, interest, culture, ethnicity, marital status, discrimination, etc.)
EXAMPLES
(definition 1) “It is a small office, so I do not have many colleagues; there is a secretary, myself, two other workers with the same position as me, an evening manager, and the boss.”
(definition 2) “Professional conferences are large events where people from a particular industry come to learn new skills and to network with their colleagues.”
“Many people who love playing video games use the platform, Twitch, to connect with their peers. This allows them to play and chat together about their shared interests.”
“She knows that her classmates are her peers because they share the same experience: university; however, she is 35 years old, married with two kids, has had many jobs, and is responsible for paying many bills every month. Her classmates are 18 years old, live at home, single with no kids, and have had little responsibility. So, her classmates are not her peers in life. They are only her peers at school. This makes it difficult for her to make friends.”
