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

Nuclear Children follows 18-year-old Isla Sparrow who, after the death of her father in a submarine accident, hopes to escape her grieving family and flee to university. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026

On the other hand, some universities are using AI to scale otherwise scarce faculty time into a digital product. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Together with Jake Francis, a professor at the university, Bloom walked through the spongy soil that was frozen solid a few weeks earlier. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026

There’s also the reality of add/drop and other university registration rules for enrolling in fall semester courses, as athletes need to remain full-time students in good standing. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 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