tenure
Americannoun
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the holding or possessing of anything.
the tenure of an office.
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the holding of property, especially real property, of a superior in return for services to be rendered.
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the period or term of holding something.
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status granted to an employee, usually after a probationary period, indicating that the position or employment is permanent.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the possession or holding of an office or position
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the length of time an office, position, etc, lasts; term
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the improved security status of a person after having been in the employ of the same company or institution for a specified period
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the right to permanent employment until retirement, esp for teachers, lecturers, etc
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property law
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the holding or occupying of property, esp realty, in return for services rendered, etc
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the duration of such holding or occupation
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Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
Take the noun tenure for the period of time a person holds a position or office. Your tenure as a student ends when you graduate high school — unless, of course, you go on to college. Tenure from the Latin tenere means "to hold" and refers to the period of time a person works at a particular job or in an office. A president might have to deal with a recession during his tenure in the White House. In university jargon, if you have tenure, you have a permanent teaching position or professorship. In this sense, tenure can also be used as a verb. You've got it made if you're tenured at age 29.
Vocabulary lists containing tenure
"The Declaration of Independence," Vocabulary from the historical document
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Vocabulary from the Magna Carta on its 800th Anniversary
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
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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.
Maybe they can get tenure by embracing and touting these ideas and getting a citation from a Supreme Court justice, maybe even a majority opinion.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026
The University of Cambridge initially robustly defended Jason Arday then announced an investigation into his appointment and tenure amid growing disquiet.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
During Wright’s tenure, El Camino Real has replaced the football, boys and girls basketball coaches, the tennis coach and the athletic director.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
During his tenure, a former vice governor of eastern Jiangxi province was executed for taking bribes, the highest-ranking official to be put to death for such charges in five decades.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
We were not able to talk as freely during Van Rensburg’s tenure as we had been before, but we were able to talk nonetheless while we worked.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
