university

American  

[yoo-nuh-vur-si-tee] / ˌyu nəˈvɜr sɪ ti /

noun

universities plural

1. an institution of learning of the highest level, having a college of liberal arts and a program of graduate studies together with several professional schools, as of theology, law, medicine, and engineering, and authorized to confer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Continental European universities usually have only graduate or professional schools.

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university British  

/ ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ /

noun

1. an institution of higher education having authority to award bachelors' and higher degrees, usually having research facilities

2. the buildings, members, staff, or campus of a university

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• universitarian
  noun
• preuniversity
  adjective
• antiuniversity
  adjective
• interuniversity
  adjective
• nonuniversity
  noun
• counteruniversity
  noun
• prouniversity
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• universities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of university

1250–1300; Middle English universite < Old French < Medieval Latin ūniversitās, Late Latin: guild, corporation, Latin: totality, equivalent to ūnivers ( us ) ( see universe) + -itās -ity

Compare meaning

How does university compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• State College vs. university

Explanation

A university is a big school where you go to get a degree — maybe even a master’s or PhD. If you’re going to a university, you’re probably on a big campus that also offers housing for students and professors. Just like the word universe (“the whole world”), university comes from the Latin word universus, meaning "whole, entire." So think of a university as being sort of a world of its own — an institute of higher education where you live and study. A university generally offers advanced degrees and research opportunities in many fields. Sometimes college and university are used to mean the same thing, but colleges are typically smaller and more limited in scope than universities.

Example Sentences

In the email sent to those affected, Carter said, after detecting the attack, the university "immediately took the affected systems offline to contain the incident and launched a comprehensive investigation".

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

His classes included satellite design and orbital mechanics, and he worked on a university project to build the base station for a ground launch system.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026

Mirer, meanwhile, claims that he has received no NIL compensation from Stanford’s collective or revenue-sharing money from the university since 2024 as a result of the settlement.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

In a statement, the university said it could not discuss individual cases but it had "established processes" in place for students who experienced "unexpected health issues or difficult personal circumstances".

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

Kepler was a poor man with no financial resources from his family—his university studies had been paid for by a scholarship and he had to borrow money for the journey to Graz.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Related Words

• academy
• institution
• school