tuition

noun

tu·​ition tə-ˈwi-shən 

tyu̇-

1

: the price of or payment for instruction

2

: the act or profession of teaching : instruction

pursued his studies under private tuition

3

archaic : custody, guardianship

tuitional

tə-ˈwi-sh(ə-)nəl 

tyu̇-

adjective

Synonyms of tuition

• education
• teaching
• schooling
• instruction

Examples of tuition in a Sentence

Her uncle agreed to pay part of her tuition.

There's going to be a tuition increase next year.

Before the company transferred her to Mexico, they offered her private tuition in Spanish.

Recent Examples on the Web

Bollo, the son of a domestic worker and a line cook, said he’s applied to work as a teaching assistant and graduate researcher, which would waive the cost of his tuition. — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Cuts to funding for people with disabilities, rising tuition costs and slashed teacher salaries would all be on the table, said Fogle, a Springfield Democrat. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026

And its tuition cannot exceed what its graduates earn above 150% of the poverty line – an earnings test so complex it won’t be calculated for the first time until 2030. — Caroline Casagrande, Fortune, 6 July 2026

For smaller private colleges that are tuition dependent and lack substantial and accessible endowments, even a modest reduction in enrollment could prove calamitous. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tuicioun protection, from Anglo-French, from Latin tuition-, tuitio, from tueri to look at, look after

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for tuition

• dition
• fission
• lycian
• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition

Kids Definition

tuition

noun

tu·​ition t(y)u̇-ˈish-ən 

: money paid for instruction (as at a college)