Tenure Meaning
/ˈtɛn.jʊə/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA status of possessing a thing or an office; an incumbency.
nounA period of time during which something is possessed.
Sentence Examples
My brother just received tenure at the university where he teaches.
I just got tenure.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After five years of teaching, she finally received ____ at the university.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The professor was finally granted ____ after working at the university for more than ten long and productive years today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English tenure, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French tenure, from Vulgar Latin *tenitura, from *tenitus, from Latin tentus (from teneō) + -ura.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"All that seems thine own, / Held by the tenure of his will alone."
— 1781 (date written), William Cowper, “Expostulation”, in Poems, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1782, →OCLC:
"It will be rather entertaining to watch Merriman when he first faces the Transport Select Committee, with his former colleagues likely to be merciless in their questioning. During his tenure, Merriman was pretty sharp, which was no bad thing, and they will make sure he gets a dose of his own medicine."
— 2022 November 16, Christian Wolmar, “Can Merriman use his rail knowledge to make a difference?”, in RAIL, number 970, page 45:
"Carsley ended his six-game tenure as England's interim manager in the same way he started it, with a comfortable victory over the nation he represented with distinction as a player."
— 2024 November 17, Phil McNulty, “England 5-0 Republic of Ireland”, in BBC Sport:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After five years of teaching, she finally received ____ at the university.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The professor was finally granted ____ after working at the university for more than ten long and productive years today.