tenure

American  

[ten-yer] / ˈtɛn jər /

noun

1. the holding or possessing of anything.

   the tenure of an office.

2. the holding of property, especially real property, of a superior in return for services to be rendered.

3. the period or term of holding something.

4. status granted to an employee, usually after a probationary period, indicating that the position or employment is permanent.

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verb (used with object)

1. to give tenure to.

   After she served three years on probation, the committee tenured her.

tenure British  

/ ˈtɛnjə, ˈtɛnjʊə /

noun

1. the possession or holding of an office or position

2. the length of time an office, position, etc, lasts; term

3. the improved security status of a person after having been in the employ of the same company or institution for a specified period

4. the right to permanent employment until retirement, esp for teachers, lecturers, etc

5. property law

   1. the holding or occupying of property, esp realty, in return for services rendered, etc

   2. the duration of such holding or occupation

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Other Word Forms

• undertenure
  noun
• nontenurial
  adjective
• tenurial
  adjective
• nontenurially
  adverb
• tenurially
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of tenure

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French; Old French teneure, from Vulgar Latin tenitura (unrecorded), equivalent to tenit(us) (unrecorded) “held” (for Latin tentus, past participle of tenēre “to hold”) + -ura -ure

Explanation

Take the noun tenure for the period of time a person holds a position or office. Your tenure as a student ends when you graduate high school — unless, of course, you go on to college. Tenure from the Latin tenere means "to hold" and refers to the period of time a person works at a particular job or in an office. A president might have to deal with a recession during his tenure in the White House. In university jargon, if you have tenure, you have a permanent teaching position or professorship. In this sense, tenure can also be used as a verb. You've got it made if you're tenured at age 29.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tenure

Maybe they can get tenure by embracing and touting these ideas and getting a citation from a Supreme Court justice, maybe even a majority opinion.

From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026

Clarke - who had signed a new four-year deal in May - resigned following the group-stage exit at the World Cup, ending his seven-year tenure.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

In his short tenure as owner, the team said goodbye to LeBron James, gave Austin Reaves a long contract extension, traded for impact center Walker Kessler and signed several complementary players.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

As the second-most powerful official in the Communist Party and state from 1998-2003, under President Jiang Zemin, Zhu made economic reform the focus of his tenure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Secretary LaHood, who in his four-and-a-half-year tenure as the nation’s chief transportation authority, came across many harrowing tales and difficult safety issues.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• administration
• occupation
• ownership
• regime
• reign
• term