Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

residency

American  
[rez-i-duhn-see] / ˈrɛz ɪ dən si /

noun

residencies plural
  1. residence.

  2. the position or tenure of a medical resident.

  3. (formerly) the official residence of a representative of the British governor general at an Indian court.

  4. (formerly) an administrative division of the Dutch East Indies.


residency British  
/ ˈrɛzɪdənsɪ /

noun

  1. a variant of residence

  2. a regular series of concerts by a band or singer at one venue

  3. the period, following internship, during which a physician undergoes further clinical training, usually in one medical speciality

  4. (in India, formerly) the official house of the governor general at the court of a native prince

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of residency

First recorded in 1570–80; resid(ent) + -ency

Explanation

Your residency is where you live, officially. A residency is also a temporary professional visit, like when a doctor does a residency at a hospital or a poet does a residency at a school. When someone emigrates to another country, they don't just visit temporarily — they gain residency in the new country, becoming a legal resident. And if you get a driver's license, you'll get it in the state where you have residency. Another way to use this noun is to mean "a stage of medical training." After attending medical school, new doctors have a residency at a hospital, where they specialize in a particular branch of medicine.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing residency

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Residency is established based on credit card billing address.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

Mexico’s Temporary Residency Visa can be obtained with about $4,000 a month in income or around $80,000 in savings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

The study participants were resident physicians undergoing training in both adult and pediatric neurology in the Boston University Neurology Residency Program.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2024

The first allegation against Wiley surfaced in late May in an Instagram post by British-born Ghanaian artist Joseph Awuah-Darko, who founded the Noldor Artist Residency.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2024

Residency costs $3,000 per person up front, $5,000 total.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "residency" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com