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
The same dynamic is now widely observed in universities, where hiring and professional advancement practices have produced increasingly uniform ideological cultures even without explicit political litmus tests.
—
James Broughel, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
On Thursday, the university unveiled its Sensory Research Institute aimed at deepening scientific understanding of how the senses shape how people perceive and communicate — and how sensory changes can affect quality of life.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026
Sacramento State President Luke Wood said the partnership will help expand the university to the Capitol Mall corridor, where empty state buildings have been a big problem for downtown businesses.
—Steve Large, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The elimination of women's studies comes as other universities have curtailed or ended such programs in recent years, including The University of Iowa, Wichita State University in Kansas and the University of California, Santa Cruz.
—Elissa Nadworny, NPR, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for university
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James Broughel, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
On Thursday, the university unveiled its Sensory Research Institute aimed at deepening scientific understanding of how the senses shape how people perceive and communicate — and how sensory changes can affect quality of life.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026
Sacramento State President Luke Wood said the partnership will help expand the university to the Capitol Mall corridor, where empty state buildings have been a big problem for downtown businesses.
—Steve Large, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The elimination of women's studies comes as other universities have curtailed or ended such programs in recent years, including The University of Iowa, Wichita State University in Kansas and the University of California, Santa Cruz.
—Elissa Nadworny, NPR, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for university
Cite this Entry
“University.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/university. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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