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

Founded by a Christian abolitionist in 1855, Berea charges no tuition, and every student works a minimum of ten hours per week on campus, doing jobs such as tending the school’s farm, repairing bicycles at the bike shop, or making brooms in the college’s historic craft workshop. —Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026

Alternatively, at four-year public colleges, in-state tuition and fees averaged $11,950, and at four-year private schools, $45,000. —Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026

This month, 100,000 New York families are sorting through financial aid letters, trying to figure out how to cover college tuition bills due this fall. —Drew Warshaw, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026

Even working a few hours a month can help bridge the tuition gap and provide a steady stream of smaller funds. —La'tasha Givens, CBS News, 16 Apr. 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
• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition

Kids Definition

tuition

noun

tu·​ition t(y)u̇-ˈish-ən 

: money paid for instruction (as at a college)