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

College sports simply can’t exist in its present form without bankrupting our colleges and universities. — Bruce Svare, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Leadership at the university turned over last year, with the president, the dean of students and the director of Greek life all departing. — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

That may be true in universities where the evaluative component is elided because the literature being discussed has been canonized. — Lola Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026

Some of this is offset by a rise in graduate students, but while schools such as TCU and Texas Tech continue to enjoy an increase in enrollment, Baylor’s undergraduate numbers are an undeniable concern for university leadership. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 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