tenure

American  

[ten-yer] / ˈtɛn yər /

noun

1. the holding or possessing of anything.

   the tenure of an office.

2. the holding of property, especially real property, of a superior in return for services to be rendered.

3. the period or term of holding something.

4. status granted to an employee, usually after a probationary period, indicating that the position or employment is permanent.

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verb (used with object)

1. to give tenure to.

   After she served three years on probation, the committee tenured her.

tenure British  

/ ˈtɛnjə, ˈtɛnjʊə /

noun

1. the possession or holding of an office or position

2. the length of time an office, position, etc, lasts; term

3. the improved security status of a person after having been in the employ of the same company or institution for a specified period

4. the right to permanent employment until retirement, esp for teachers, lecturers, etc

5. property law

   1. the holding or occupying of property, esp realty, in return for services rendered, etc

   2. the duration of such holding or occupation

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Other Word Forms

• nontenurial adjective
• nontenurially adverb
• tenurial adjective
• tenurially adverb
• undertenure noun

Etymology

Origin of tenure

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French; Old French teneure, from Vulgar Latin tenitura (unrecorded), equivalent to tenit(us) (unrecorded) “held” (for Latin tentus, past participle of tenēre “to hold”) + -ura -ure

Example Sentences

While Air Canada has framed the move as a planned transition, the timing highlights the mounting pressure surrounding Rousseau’s tenure.

From The Wall Street Journal

Monday’s appearance came as Powell navigates one of the more legally fraught endings to a Fed chair’s tenure in modern history.

From Barron's

In January 2025, Mills took over Radio 2's flagship Breakfast Show, replacing the outgoing Zoe Ball, with his tenure ultimately lasting just over a year.

From BBC

She became the first tenured woman in Harvard’s economics department.

From The Wall Street Journal

States need to recognize and protect these rights with “due respect to the customs, traditions and land tenure systems.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• administration
• occupation
• ownership
• regime
• reign
• term