noun · formal
tenure
UK/ˈtɛn.jə/US/ˈtɛn.jər/TEN·ure
the period someone holds an important job, or the status of having a permanent post
Examples
“After five years on the faculty he was granted tenure.”
“Short‑term contracts make it harder to gain tenure in many universities.”
“Tenure gives academics job security and freedom to pursue controversial research.”
Band 8 sentence
“Securing tenure transformed her workload: she could pursue riskier, long‑term projects without fear of dismissal.”
Collocations
- granted tenure
- tenure track
Word family
Common mistakes
He is on tenure at the university.→He has tenure at the university.
She got a tenure.→She was granted tenure.
Say it for a higher band
5job→6contract→7+tenure
Synonyms
permanency
Easily confused
term
“His term as dean lasted three years, but he only secured tenure after publishing several papers.”
Related words
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In Work & Career
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