residency
Americannoun
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a variant of residence
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a regular series of concerts by a band or singer at one venue
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the period, following internship, during which a physician undergoes further clinical training, usually in one medical speciality
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(in India, formerly) the official house of the governor general at the court of a native prince
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing residency
Americanized
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The Prince and the Dressmaker
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A Light in the Darkness
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
According to the documents, a further application was made in February 2024 on the grounds of his connection to his son, Carl Mason, who has Swedish residency.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Documents from the Swedish Migration Agency, seen by the BBC, state an application for permanent residency for Mason was made on 21 December 2021.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
However, it was refused on the grounds documents showing he met the grounds for residency were not submitted.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The amount of capital needed to obtain residency and eventual citizenship varies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Lourdes has nightmares about going back, even to visit, without residency documents.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Homeland Security data from the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, the latest available, shows that of some 350,000 new permanent residencies issued, about 190,000—54 percent—were adjustments, which is in keeping with historical trends.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
Some acts that announce residencies have taken pre-emptive steps to emphasize that the additional travel will be beneficial.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
Speaking to Newsbeat on the Brit Awards red carpet, Jade says that, as a musician, residencies can be better for your body.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
Sphere, meanwhile, has upcoming residencies from Kenny Chesney beginning in June, Backstreet Boys in July and Carin León in September.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
These are the residencies of Gwalior and Indore, and the agencies of Baghelkhand, Bhopal, Bhopawar, Bundelkhand, Indore and Malwa.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 6 "Celtes, Konrad" to "Ceramics" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
