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

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.

Example Sentences

Griffin said Mamdani’s early tenure is forcing him to recall bad feelings he experienced in Chicago when Citadel was based there.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Luna touts his experience and relationships with other county agencies and oversight bodies he said he’s mended since Villanueva’s combative tenure.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Phelan, a former businessman with close ties to Trump who helped fundraising efforts for his presidential campaigns, ran afoul of both the president and Hegseth during his tenure, according to CNN.

From Salon • May 1, 2026

Incoming Hungarian leader Peter Magyar on Wednesday pays his first visit to EU chiefs in Brussels since his election win, looking to turn the page on the bad blood of nationalist Viktor Orban's tenure.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

The Doge and the Senate, delighted, offered to give Galileo tenure in his post at the University of Pisa for life, with his salary doubled to 1000 crowns a year.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Related Words

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