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

Mager said she is particularly grateful to the Watershed, which has been "a leading institution for ensuring deaf and disabled people can find a home here".

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

“I had never been in a predominantly white institution before. And that was really eye-opening.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

She is a cautious steward of her institution, and not a post goes out on social media in the museum’s name without her explicit imprimatur.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

"Continuing on this path is not an option... Continuing this way will lead to the total decline of this institution," she added.

From Barron's

By the end of my senior year, it had become a veritable institution.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

U.S. and European banks have combined exposure of $4.5 trillion dollars to non-bank financial institutions, primarily through their prime brokerage operations.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

Kudos to him for acknowledging how little trust Americans place in media institutions and implying that the media’s credibility wounds are self-inflicted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Recently, around 100 US companies signed an open letter warning governments and institutions around the world that "the window is closing" to ensure cyber defences are robust enough to withstand AI-enabled cyber attacks.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Diane Wolfe said she is approaching institutions but declined to identify them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Modern American society and the Fayu differ in the presence or absence of a professional police force, cities, money, distinctions between rich and poor, and many other political, economic, and social institutions.

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