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

In July, Boots opened its second beauty-only store in Bristol, a big university city in southwest England. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 4 Aug. 2026

Cristobal and the university have agreed to a contract extension, a source confirmed to the Miami Herald on Monday night. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026

The article has been corrected to reflect that the university system’s timeline was expedited, not delayed. — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

The university is located in a Nashville neighborhood that is also historically predominantly Black. — Jeana Fermi, ABC News, 4 Aug. 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