tuition

noun

tu·​ition tə-ˈwi-shən How to pronounce tuition (audio)
tyu̇-
Synonyms of tuitionnext
1
: the price of or payment for instruction
2
: the act or profession of teaching : instruction
pursued his studies under private tuition
3
archaic : custody, guardianship
tuitional
tə-ˈwi-sh(ə-)nəl How to pronounce tuition (audio)
tyu̇-
adjective

Synonyms of tuition

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See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of tuition in a Sentence

Her uncle agreed to pay part of her tuition. There's going to be a tuition increase next year. Before the company transferred her to Mexico, they offered her private tuition in Spanish.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The 1,000-student liberal arts school — which boasts a statue of US President James Garfield, who worked as a janitor there to pay his tuition — eventually pulled more than $47 million from the fund. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 Emory saw a spike in applications earlier this year after the university announced a financial aid program that will offer free tuition to students coming from families that have an income under $200,000 a year. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 In other words, as the price of long distance, smartphones, information technology, and so much else plummets, the price of hotel suites, Knicks tickets and K-12 tuition goes up. — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Its survival does not depend on tuition payments or donations from local companies. — Manuel Rueda, NPR, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tuition

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tuicioun protection, from Anglo-French, from Latin tuition-, tuitio, from tueri to look at, look after

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of tuition was in the 15th century

Rhymes for tuition

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Browse Nearby Words

tuism
tuition
tuitional
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Cite this Entry

“Tuition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tuition. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

tuition

noun
tu·​ition t(y)u̇-ˈish-ən How to pronounce tuition (audio)
: money paid for instruction (as at a college)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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