tenure

tenure — noun

1. the state or condition of lawfully owning property, holding an official position

1.nounB2
Definition

the state or condition of lawfully owning property, holding an official position, or occupying a job; also the length of time that someone holds a particular office, piece of land, or job position

Example

During her tenure as mayor, Rin oversaw the construction of a new public library.

during [possessive] tenure as [role]

The country's land tenure system lets farming families pass their fields to their children.

land tenure system

Common collocations
  • land tenure
  • during one's tenure
  • tenure of office
  • secure tenure
  • tenure as [role]
  • tenure on [committee]
Synonyms
  • term of office

    narrower — only for elected or appointed official positions

  • incumbency

    more formal; focuses on the period a particular person currently holds an office

  • holding

    broader; can refer to simple possession without the legal dimension

Grammar Patterns

tenure of [something]

during someone's tenure as [role]

tenure on [committee/board]

Usage Note

The word is uncountable when referring to the state or condition ('tenure of office'), but may be used as a countable noun when referring to a specific period ('a tenure of three years'). Commonly appears in legal and formal contexts about property or official positions.

Common Mistakes

He had a long tenure in the company.
He had a long tenure as CEO of the company.
tenure is tied to a specific role or position, not general employment at a workplace.

2. a job guarantee, mainly for university teachers, that prevents them from being f

2.nounB2
Definition

a job guarantee, mainly for university teachers, that prevents them from being fired without strong cause such as serious wrongdoing or major budget cuts

Example

After six years of teaching, Manuela was finally granted tenure at the state university.

granted tenure

Without tenure, young professors worry about losing their jobs if their research is unpopular.

Common collocations
  • grant tenure
  • earn tenure
  • tenure track
  • deny tenure
  • be awarded tenure
  • academic tenure
  • revoke tenure
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

grant [someone] tenure

earn tenure

be awarded tenure

tenure at [institution]

Usage Note

Subject is almost always a university professor or educator. Frequently paired with verbs such as 'grant', 'award', 'earn', 'deny', and 'revoke'. Almost never used for non-academic jobs.

Common Mistakes

She got tenure as a doctor at the hospital.
She got tenure as a professor at the university.
tenure in this sense applies to academic teaching positions, not medical or corporate jobs.

Word family

  • tenured
    adjectiveC1
  • tenure-track
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to a period of holding a position, but differ in scope and register. 'Tenure' is the most general — it applies to any job, office, or property ownership ('a five-year tenure as director'). 'Term of office' is narrower and more formal, used for elected or appointed officials with a predetermined duration ('the president's term of office is four years'). 'Incumbency' focuses on the current holder of an office and carries a formal, often political tone ('voters blamed the incumbent for high unemployment during her incumbency'). 'Reign' is reserved for monarchs or, metaphorically, for dominant figures in a field ('the reign of Queen Elizabeth II'). Use 'tenure' for everyday professional contexts; use 'incumbency' or 'term of office' in formal writing about politics.

tenure ↗term of officeincumbencyreign ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • securely

Phrases

  • tenure as [role]
  • tenure at [institution]
  • tenure of [office]

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Tenure entered English in the 1400s from Old French 'tenure', meaning 'a holding or possession', which came from Latin 'tenere' (to hold). The word originally described the feudal system in which land was held by a tenant in exchange for service to a lord. By the 1700s it had expanded to cover the period of holding any office or job, and in the mid-1900s it gained the specific academic meaning of a permanent teaching position.