university

noun

uni·​ver·​si·​ty ˌyü-nə-ˈvər-sə-tē 

-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

One of those pictures was with Luca Gamauf, a university student. —Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026

The bill, which has passed the state Assembly, will permit the government to discriminate in all aspects of K-12 education and some aspects of colleges and universities, except for admissions and enrollment. —Alison Somin, Oc Register, 10 Apr. 2026

Many states covet the ecosystem created by North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, a massive biotech and life sciences hub positioned between the Tar Heel State’s top universities. —Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 10 Apr. 2026

So in February, the university, collaborating with tech ventures Teraverse and XNOVA, unveiled Buddharoid, a humanoid robot monk meant to eventually assist clergy. —ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026

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

Phrases Containing university

• anti-university
• go to university
• inter-university
• pre-university
• state university

Rhymes for university

• adversity
• diversity
• perversity
• biodiversity
• polydispersity

Kids Definition

university

noun

uni·​ver·​si·​ty ˌyü-nə-ˈvər-sət-ē 

-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