institution

noun in·sti·tu·tion \ ˌin(t)-stə-ˈtü-shən , -ˈtyü- \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

Definition of institution

1 : an act of instituting : establishment

2 a : a significant practice, relationship, or organization in a society or culture

the institution of marriage

; also : something or someone firmly associated with a place or thing

she has become an institution in the theater

b : an established organization or corporation (such as a bank or university) especially of a public character

financial institutions

c : a facility or establishment in which people (such as the sick or needy) live and receive care typically in a confined setting and often without individual consent

… the testator disinherited her siblings over their efforts to have her committed to a mental institution in the wake of several suicide attempts.
—William M. McGovern Jr.

See institution defined for English-language learners

See institution defined for kids

Examples of institution in a Sentence

banks and other financial institutions
an institution of higher learning
Family visits are a Thanksgiving institution.
She's not interested in the institution of marriage.
The play has become something of an institution on Broadway.
the institution of new rules and regulations

Recent Examples of institution from the Web

That may prompt foreign governments and financial institutions to think about rerouting the sewer.

— The Economist, "The long arm of the dollar," 19 May 2018
That marked the first time a Japanese financial institution has announced such a policy, according to environmental groups including Greenpeace Japan.

— chisaki watanabe, Bloomberg.com, "Sumitomo Mitsui Signals It May Curb Coal-Fired Power Financing," 16 May 2018
Not all of the money made it to the financial institutions, according to the indictment.

— jen christensen, michael nedelman and paul murphy, CNN, "Texas doctor, accused of giving fake diagnoses, faces $240 million health care fraud case," 15 May 2018
Over the past year alone, the company hired new employees with over 500 years of collective experience at different financial institutions.

— jessica levy, azcentral, "Happy employees make happy members at Credit Union West," 14 May 2018
And the institutions of American politics today are a vast improvement on the regimes that ruled well within living memory.

— ezra klein, Vox, "American democracy has faced worse threats than Donald Trump," 10 May 2018
Trustworthy institutions are ones that use verifiable facts, not ones that have won a popularity contest.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "Why Facebook Is Desperate for Conservative Allies," 4 May 2018
The legislation would allow people to have guns at schools and universities, regardless of whether the institutions are public or private.

— michelle hunter, NOLA.com, "Harahan police seek robbery, burglary suspect," 2 May 2018
But one local institution isn’t ready to open its doors.

— tricia l. nadolny, Philly.com, "Penn cancels plans with Cadets drum corps following sexual misconduct allegations against director," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'institution.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of institution

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

institution Synonyms

Synonyms

association, board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, council, fellowship, fraternity, guild (also gild), institute, league, order, organization, society, sodality;

alliance, bloc, camp, coalition, partnership;

body, cadre, group;

circle, clan, clique, coterie, junta, lot, set;

crew, outfit, party, squad, team;

branch, chapter, local;

faithful, fold, membership;

sisterhood, sorority;

cabal, confederacy, conspiracy;

band, gang, ring;

cartel, combine, syndicate;

INSTITUTION Defined for English Language Learners

institution

noun

Definition of institution for English Language Learners

: an established organization
: a place where an organization takes care of people for a usually long period of time
: a custom, practice, or law that is accepted and used by many people

INSTITUTION Defined for Kids

institution

noun in·sti·tu·tion \ ˌin-stə-ˈtü-shən , -ˈtyü- \

Definition of institution for Students

1 : the beginning or establishment of something

the institution of new rules

2 : an established custom, practice, or law

Turkey dinners are a Thanksgiving institution.

3 : an established organization

business institutions

Medical Dictionary

institution

noun in·sti·tu·tion \ ˌin(t)-stə-ˈt(y)ü-shən \

medical Definition of institution

: a facility or establishment in which people (such as the sick or needy) live and receive care typically in a confined setting and often without individual consent

a mental institution

Law Dictionary

institution

noun in·sti·tu·tion

legal Definition of institution

1 : the act of instituting

2 : a significant practice, relationship, or organization in a society or culture

the institution of marriage

3 : an established organization or corporation especially of a public character; specifically : a facility for the treatment or training of persons with mental deficiencies