residency

American  

[rez-i-duhn-see] / ˈrɛz ɪ dən si /

noun

plural

residencies

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.

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

This comes even though he holds US permanent residency and his wife and daughters are American citizens.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Dependents and survivors who are Malaysian citizens have additional residency requirements, the Social Security Administration said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Justice Amy Coney Barrett warned of a “messy” future under the law, with all sorts of questions about residency and citizenship.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

Many Iranians with U.A.E. residency who were abroad during the war have had their residency permits canceled, leaving students stranded at U.S. universities and travelers stuck on family visits in Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Maybe it was the residency issue that did me in, though I suspect it was the misplaced hypocrisy.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

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