tutor

American  

[too-ter, tyoo-] / ˈtu tər, ˈtyu- /

noun

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

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

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

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

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

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verb (used with object)

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

2. to have the guardianship, instruction, or care of.

3. to instruct underhandedly; coach.

   to tutor a witness before he testifies.

4. Archaic.

   1. to train, school, or discipline.

   2. to admonish or reprove.

verb (used without object)

1. to act as a tutor or private instructor.

2. to study privately with a tutor.

tutor British  

/ ˈtjuːtə /

noun

1. a teacher, usually instructing individual pupils and often engaged privately

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

3. Scots law the guardian of a pupil See pupil 1

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verb

1. to act as a tutor to (someone); instruct

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

3. (intr) to study under a tutor

4. rare (tr) to admonish, discipline, or reprimand

Related Words

See teach.

Other Word Forms

• mistutor
  verb
• subtutor
  noun
• subtutorship
  noun
• tutorage
  noun
• tutorless
  adjective
• tutorship
  noun
• undertutor
  noun
• well-tutored
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tutor

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

Explanation

A tutor is someone who gives private instruction: tutors teach one-on-one. If you ever helped someone learn something, you could say you tutored them. "Tutor" is also the title of someone who works with students one-on-one. There are writing tutors, music tutors, math tutors, and history tutors. You can find a tutor for just about anything you'd like to learn. Tutoring also sometimes means being the guardian for someone. In all cases, tutors tend to be helpful to their tutees: the people they tutor.

Example Sentences

Then, in March 2020, he took a job as a tutor at C2 Education.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026

Galvan, whose husband was also unemployed after a tech layoff, eventually enrolled in graduate school and currently works part-time as a writing tutor and editor of various blogs and journals at San Jose State University.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

The gamble has paid off: Vyas, along with his two co-founders, said he has raised over $4 million to build their company, which he describes as an AI-powered tutor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

At the time, Phelps was a deputy boarding housemaster, tutor and performing arts technician at the senior school for students aged 13 to 18.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

But he did manage to hire a tutor for Laertes, a bookish, black-capped man.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Related Words

• educator
• instructor
• lecturer
• mentor
• teacher