Definition

1. Noun:
   • An institution of higher education and research: A university is a large and diverse institution that grants academic degrees (such as bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees) in various disciplines. Its core missions typically include education, research, and service to society.
   • The physical establishment of such an institution: This refers to the campus, buildings, and facilities (including administrative offices, libraries, laboratories, and student residences) that house the university.
   • The collective body of faculty and students: The term can also refer to the community of scholars, professors, and students who constitute the university.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She received her degree from a prestigious university.
  • The university's new science building opened last fall.
  • The whole university celebrated the championship win.

Advanced Usage

• "To be at university": To be enrolled as a student at a university.
  • He is studying engineering at university.
• "University life": Refers to the overall experience of being a student at a university, encompassing academic, social, and residential aspects.
  • She enjoyed university life and joined several clubs.

Variants and Related Words

• University-level (adj): Of or relating to the standard of education at a university.
  • This is a university-level course in philosophy.
• Inter-university (adj): Involving or occurring between different universities.
  • There is an inter-university debate competition.

Synonyms

• College (Note: In some contexts, especially in the US, "college" can be synonymous with an undergraduate institution or a part of a university. In other contexts, it may refer to a smaller or more specialized institution.)
• Academy (often implies a specialized school or society for arts, sciences, or a particular profession).
• Institute (often denotes an organization for a specific purpose, such as research or education in a specialized field).

Phrasal Verbs / Common Collocations

• To go to university: To attend a university as a student.
  • She plans to go to university after high school.
• To enter university: To begin studies at a university.
  • He entered university at the age of eighteen.

Related Idioms

• A university of life: The experience of the world, regarded as a source of instruction. (This is a metaphorical use, not referring to a formal institution).
  • He never went to college, but he graduated from the university of life.

Noun

1. a large and diverse institution of higher learning created to educate for life and for a profession and to grant degrees
2. establishment where a seat of higher learning is housed, including administrative and living quarters as well as facilities for research and teaching
3. the body of faculty and students at a university