university

noun

uni·​ver·​si·​ty ˌyü-nə-ˈvər-sə-tē How to pronounce university (audio)
-ˈvər-stē
plural universities
1
: an institution of higher learning providing facilities for teaching and research and authorized to grant academic degrees
specifically : one made up of an undergraduate division which confers bachelor's degrees and a graduate division which comprises a graduate school and professional schools each of which may confer master's degrees and doctorates
2
: the physical plant of a university

Examples of university in a Sentence

I applied to several public universities. He lives near the university.
Recent Examples on the Web Explore Bologna’s Historic Sites Photo: Getty Images As the capital of Emilia-Romagna, Bologna is a treasure trove of historic and cultural sites, not to mention the world’s oldest university. Laura Itzkowitz, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024 Many universities have since taken an aggressive stance against some forms of speech and protest, moves often decried by academic freedom groups. Vimal Patel, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024 The incidents involved Indian students from different universities, and range from death by suicides, accidental overdoses and a brutal assault, according to authorities. Juhi Doshi, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2024 The Kansas House advanced a bill that would prohibit the use of diversity, equity and inclusion statements in public universities during admissions and when hiring university employees. Jenna Barackman, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 The law does include some protections for faculty, preventing trustees from disciplining professors for criticizing the university or engaging in public commentary. Ethan Sandweiss, NPR, 22 Mar. 2024 For their part, many universities are pivoting to incorporate AI in courses on computer science and other disciplines. Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 At the time, Musk had responded to an X user who speculated that the intelligence of United Airlines pilots who attend historically Black colleges and universities is lower than that of Air Force pilots. Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024 There are additional requirements if a student wishes to apply to a four-year state college, and selective universities carefully evaluate a student’s advanced coursework. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'university.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English universite, from Anglo-French université, from Medieval Latin universitat-, universitas, from Latin universus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of university was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near university

Cite this Entry

“University.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/university. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

university

noun
uni·​ver·​si·​ty ˌyü-nə-ˈvər-sət-ē How to pronounce university (audio)
-ˈvər-stē
plural universities
: a school that offers courses leading to a degree (as a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree) and where research is done

More from Merriam-Webster on university

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!