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

Planning between the city and university has been underway since the day after last year's Picnic Day, when a shooting at Community Park, just blocks from campus, left three people injured. —Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026

Private education and health services, which include nursing, social assistance, private schools and universities, added 12,500 new positions annually — much higher than any other category. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026

Boca Raton itself, once considered a retiree’s haven, is finding new life as a younger person’s destination, with a nearby international university and a host of Floridians tired of the buzzy Miami lifestyle. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Apr. 2026

Life is returning to normal and optimism is spreading for a peace deal at the campus of Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi, the university’s president, Eric Xing, said Friday at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC. —Cory Schouten, semafor.com, 17 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