institution

American  

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

noun

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

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

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

“If you told me 20 years from now that the debt-to-GDP ratio was going to be 100%, I would be ecstatic,” said William Gale, an economist at the Brookings Institution.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

He then went back to the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and became a partner in Duquesne Capital Management, run by legendary investor Stanley Druckenmiller.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

He later researched economics at the Hoover Institution, sat on the board of UPS and worked as a private equity consultant.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

She says she is adjusting to the sound of banging gates and jingling keys at Tai Lam Correctional Institution - a complex of concrete and razor wire that overlooks a thin strip of water.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Merle had received his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University and been ensconced for two years at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Swann’s former haunt.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

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