tutor

[ too-ter, tyoo- ]

/ ˈtu tər, ˈtyu- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tutor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person employed to instruct another in some branch or branches of learning, especially a private instructor.

a teacher of academic rank lower than instructor in some American universities and colleges.

a teacher without institutional connection who assists students in preparing for examinations.

(especially at Oxford and Cambridge) a university officer, usually a fellow, responsible for teaching and supervising a number of undergraduates.

the guardian of a boy or girl below the age of puberty or majority.

verb (used with object)

to act as a tutor to; teach or instruct, especially privately.

to have the guardianship, instruction, or care of.

to instruct underhandedly; coach: to tutor a witness before he testifies.

Archaic.

to train, school, or discipline.
to admonish or reprove.

verb (used without object)

to act as a tutor or private instructor.

to study privately with a tutor.

Nearby words

Origin of tutor

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin tūtor protector, equivalent to tū- (variant stem of tuērī to guard; see tutelage) + -tor -tor

Related forms

tu·tor·less, adjectivetu·tor·ship, nounmis·tu·tor, verbsub·tu·tor, noun

sub·tu·tor·ship, nounun·der·tu·tor, nounwell-tu·tored, adjective

Synonym study

6. See teach.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tutor

Her mother was illiterate, but she secured a tutor for both her sons and her daughters, and Juana could read by the age of 3.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun|Katie Baker|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Filming in Mexico City, where his tutor would supplement world-history lessons with trips to nearby Aztec ruins.
‘Free Willy’ Turns 20: Catching Up With Star Jason James Richter|Kevin Fallon|July 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He was unnerved when he hired a grand master to tutor her in chess and, after a few months of lessons, she started beating Shaw.
The Best Bits From the Secret Ava Gardner Conversations|Filipa Ioannou|July 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Day completely controlled her fate—he was employer, protector, and tutor all rolled into one.
The Man Who Tried to Raise a Wife|Mythili Rao|April 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Bialik credits a tutor she had when she was 15 for changing the trajectory of her life.
Mayim Bialik On Her First Emmy Nomination, for ‘The Big Bang Theory’|Maria Elena Fernandez|August 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Take Maksi out for a ride and let the lacquey go with him instead of his tutor!
The Poor Plutocrats|Maurus Jkai
But French literature was certainly the gainer by the appointment of Bossuet to the post of tutor to the Prince.
Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol. 5|Various
During this period he acted as tutor to the two sons of Calignon, chancellor of Navarre.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1|Various
Bob handed it over and his tutor showed him how to cast.49 Bob was awkward at first but he was soon casting very nicely.
Bob Hunt in Canada|George W. Orton
He graduated at Yale College, and afterwards was a tutor in the establishment.
Foot-prints of a letter carrier|James Rees

British Dictionary definitions for tutor

tutor

/ (ˈtjuːtə) /

noun

a teacher, usually instructing individual pupils and often engaged privately

(at universities, colleges, etc) a member of staff responsible for the teaching and supervision of a certain number of students

Scots law the guardian of a pupilSee pupil 1 (def. 2)

verb

to act as a tutor to (someone); instruct

(tr) to act as guardian to; have care of

(intr) mainly US to study under a tutor

(tr) rare to admonish, discipline, or reprimand

Derived Formstutorage or tutorship, noun

Word Origin for tutor

C14: from Latin: a watcher, from tuērī to watch over

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tutor

tutor

late 14c., "guardian, custodian," from Old French tutour "guardian, private teacher," from Latin tutorem (nominative tutor) "guardian, watcher," from tutus, variant past participle of tueri "watch over," of unknown origin. Specific sense of "senior boy appointed to help a junior in his studies" is recorded from 1680s.

tutor

1590s, from tutor (n.). Related: Tutored; tutoring.

tutor

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of tutor

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for tutor

tutor

noun

verb

Word Origin for tutor

tutor

tutor