institution

American  

[in-sti-too-shuhn, -tyoo-] / ˌɪn stɪˈtu ʃən, -ˈtju- /

noun

• institutions
  plural

1. an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like, devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program, especially one of a public, educational, or charitable character.

   This college is the best institution of its kind.

2. the building occupied by such an establishment.

3. a public or private place for the care or confinement of inmates, especially mental patients or other persons with physical or mental disabilities.

4. Sociology. a well-established and structured pattern of behavior or of relationships that is accepted as a fundamental part of a culture, as marriage.

   the institution of the family.

5. any established law, custom, etc.

6. any familiar, long-established person, thing, or practice; fixture.

7. the act of instituting or setting up; establishment.

   the institution of laws.

8. Ecclesiastical.

   1. the origination of the Eucharist, and enactment of its observance, by Christ.

   2. the investment of a member of the clergy with a spiritual charge.

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institution British  

/ ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃən /

noun

1. the act of instituting

2. an organization or establishment founded for a specific purpose, such as a hospital, church, company, or college

3. the building where such an organization is situated

4. an established custom, law, or relationship in a society or community

5. Also called: institutional investor.  a large organization, such as an insurance company, bank, or pension fund, that has substantial sums to invest on a stock exchange

6. informal a constant feature or practice

   Jones' drink at the bar was an institution

7. the appointment or admission of an incumbent to an ecclesiastical office or pastoral charge

8. Christian theol the creation of a sacrament by Christ, esp the Eucharist

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterinstitution
  noun
• noninstitution
  noun
• reinstitution
  noun
• institutionary
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• institutions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of institution

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin institūtiōn-, stem of institūtiō; equivalent to institute + -ion

Explanation

Universities, banks, and hospitals are all institutions. Until you arrived at the bank, you'd forgotten that financial institutions were closed for the holiday. Thank goodness for the ATM! The noun institution also refers to a long held custom or practice in society. Even if your parents divorced when you were young, you might strongly believe in the institution of marriage. Or you might believe that once you enter the institution of marriage, your next stop will probably be a mental institution. Institution can also describe the act of putting something in place. The institution of new traffic rules — green means stop and red means go — caused a bit of confusion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

institution institutions

"If those wounds are not healed it can have a really detrimental impact, not only on the people concerned but also on the reputation of the institution."

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

But on Wednesday when BBC visited the institution, 30 had been deployed to help with voters' list revision, four others were off sick, leaving only six teachers to manage the children.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

We’re building that out of the institution, camera by camera, contract by contract, and calling it care.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

As executor, am I responsible for dividing and retitling the IRAs among the five beneficiaries, or is that handled by the financial institution and/or the beneficiaries themselves?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Her adoptive father was schizophrenic and for a time lived at Philadelphia State Hospital at Byberry, a sprawling mental institution that was later closed by court order because it inhumanely “warehoused” its patients.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

This serves their goals of undercutting both their target’s work and the institutions they represent.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Sweden has suffered other attacks at educational institutions.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

James C. Scott called this legibility, the way institutions flatten complicated people into categories they can manage.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

Trump’s openness to cryptocurrencies has helped to reduce regulatory uncertainty for the industry, and encouraged major financial institutions to take the crypto ecosystem seriously, said Naeem Aslam, chief investment officer at Zaye Capital Markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Bands lack many institutions that we take for granted in our own society.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• academy
• association
• business
• clinic
• company
• establishment
• foundation
• hospital
• institute
• school
• society
• system
• university