tutor

[ too-ter, tyoo- ]

/ ˈtu tər, ˈtyu- /

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See synonyms for: tutor / tutored / tutoring / tutors 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.

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Origin of tutor

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

synonym study for tutor

6. See teach.

Words nearby tutor

tutee, tutelage, tutelary, tutenag, tutiorism, tutor, tutorage, tutoress, tutorial, tutorial system, tutoyer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tutor in a sentence

AI tutors are proliferating even more during the pandemic, and they could be a critical component to solving the financial woes in the American education system by reducing teacher workloads and helping make higher ed cheaper.
Is School Out Forever?|Daniel Malloy|August 9, 2020|Ozy
Two weeks ago, I wrote that learning pods – clusters of families that hire a tutor to educate their children together – threatened to take us back to a time before public schools existed.
The Learning Curve: The Case for Outdoor School in San Diego|Will Huntsberry|July 30, 2020|Voice of San Diego
She’ll hire a private tutor to teach between six and eight kids in a rented office space for four hours a day.
With school plans unclear, affluent US parents are pursuing other options|Michelle Cheng|July 28, 2020|Quartz
Others expressed concerns about paying for childcare, and that the plan could exacerbate inequities because some families will utilize costly solutions like tutors.
North County Report: School Reopening Tensions Are High in Oceanside|Kayla Jimenez|July 22, 2020|Voice of San Diego

They meet in person, at one of the families’ homes, where either a hired tutor or one of the kids’ parents guides the students.
The Learning Curve: The Dystopian Future of ‘Learning Pods’|Will Huntsberry|July 16, 2020|Voice of San Diego
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
While Yung Pak was listening to the conversation between his father and tutor on this evening, a knock was heard.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Through a narrow door about three feet high the lad and his tutor entered their room.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
These had a ghostly effect on Yung Pak, and made him cling closely to the side of his tutor.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
He studied theology, and became tutor to the sons of influential personages.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
He was tutor to lady Jane Grey, and more noted for his severity against the Puritans than for his learning.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

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 forms of tutor

tutorage 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

tutor

Origin of tutor

synonym study for tutor

OTHER WORDS FROM tutor

Words nearby tutor

Words related to tutor

How to use tutor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tutor

Derived forms of tutor

Word Origin for tutor