tuition

T1U1I1T1I1O1N1
UK/tjuːˈɪʃən/UK/t͡ʃuːˈɪʃən/Australia/tjʉːˈɪʃən/Australia/t͡ʃʉːˈɪʃən/

noun

The training or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor.

“tuition classes”

CommonScrabble 7

Meanings

nountuition (countable and uncountable, plural tuitions)

plural tuitions

  1. IrelandUKcountableuncountableThe training or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor.
    1 more example

    Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16.[…]There are no inspectors, no exams until the age of 18, no school league tables, no private tuition industry, no school uniforms. […]

    2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30
  2. AustraliaIndiaMalaysiaSingaporecountableuncountablePaid private classes taken outside of formal education; tutoring. (also used attributively)

    tuition classes

    1 more example

    Tuition in the past was like taking medicine and you sent children for it only if they were doing poorly in a subject.

    2021 August 18, Qiu Guanhua, “Forum: Heavy reliance on tuition to boost performance is not healthy”, in The Straits Times, Singapore, archived from the original on 28 Dec 2022
  3. CanadaPhilippinesUScountableuncountableA sum of money paid for instruction (such as in a private school, boarding school, university, or college).

    The school's tuition will increase by five percent next year.

    Synonyms: tuition fees

  4. archaiccountableuncountableCare, guardianship.

    BENEDICK. I have almost matter enough in me for such an embassage; and so I commit you— CLAUDIO. To the tuition of God: from my house, if I had it,— DON PEDRO. The sixth of July: your loving friend, Benedick. BENEDICK. Nay, mock not, mock not.

    1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA sum of money paid for instruction (such as in a private school, boarding school, university, or college).

More synonyms by meaning

nouna fee paid for instruction (especially for higher education)

Similar
tuition fee
Broader

nounteaching pupils individually (usually by a tutor hired privately)

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latintuitiō“guard, protection, defense”
  2. Old Frenchtuicion
  3. Anglo-Normantuycioun
  4. Englishtuition

From Anglo-Norman tuycioun, from Old French tuicion, from Latin tuitiō (“guard, protection, defense”), from tuēri (“to watch, guard, see, observe”). Compare intuition, tutor.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian обучение
  • обучение (obučenie)training or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
Chinese Mandarin 講課 /讲课, 補習 /补习
  • 講課 /讲课 (jiǎngkè)training or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • 補習 /补习 (bǔxí)training or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • 學費 /学费 (xuéfèi)sum of money paid for instruction
Czech školné
  • školnésum of money paid for instruction
Dutch bijscholing, bijles
  • bijscholingtraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • bijlestraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • toelagesum of money paid for instruction
  • studietoelagesum of money paid for instruction
  • collegegeldsum of money paid for instruction
  • studiegeldsum of money paid for instruction
Finnish tukiopetus, opetus
  • tukiopetustraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • opetustraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • lukukausimaksusum of money paid for instruction
  • koulumaksusum of money paid for instruction
French cours, frais de scolarité
  • courstraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • frais de scolaritésum of money paid for instruction
  • frais d'inscriptionsum of money paid for instruction
  • minervalsum of money paid for instruction
German Tutorium, Unterricht
  • Tutoriumtraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • Unterrichttraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • Studiengebührsum of money paid for instruction
  • Unterrichtsgebührsum of money paid for instruction
Greek δίδακτρα
  • δίδακτρα (dídaktra)sum of money paid for instruction
Hungarian tandíj
  • tandíjsum of money paid for instruction
Irish teagasc
  • teagasctraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
Italian retta
  • rettasum of money paid for instruction
Japanese 教育, 学費
  • 教育 (kyōiku)training or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • 学費 (gakuhi)sum of money paid for instruction
  • 授業料 (jugyōryō)sum of money paid for instruction
Korean 교육, 학비
  • 교육 (gyoyuk)training or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • 학비 (hakbi)sum of money paid for instruction
Polish korepetycje, czesne
  • korepetycjetraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • czesnesum of money paid for instruction
Portuguese tutelagem, propina
  • tutelagemtraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • propinasum of money paid for instruction
Russian обуче́ние, заня́тия
  • обуче́ние (obučénije)training or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • заня́тия (zanjátija)training or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • пла́та за обуче́ние (pláta za obučénije)sum of money paid for instruction
Scottish Gaelic teagasg
  • teagasgtraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
Spanish enseñanza, clases
  • enseñanzatraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • clasestraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • tutoríatraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • colegiaturasum of money paid for instruction
  • matrículasum of money paid for instruction
Swahili masomo ya ziada
  • masomo ya ziadasum of money paid for instruction
Swedish undervisning, handledning
  • undervisningtraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • handledningtraining or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor
  • undervisningsarvodesum of money paid for instruction
  • undervisningsavgiftsum of money paid for instruction
Tagalog matrikula, tuwisyon
  • matrikulasum of money paid for instruction
  • tuwisyonsum of money paid for instruction
Turkish öğrenim ücreti
  • öğrenim ücretisum of money paid for instruction
Vietnamese tiền học, học phí
  • tiền họcsum of money paid for instruction
  • học phísum of money paid for instruction

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with tuition

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

tuition. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tuition

MLA

“tuition.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tuition. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tuition,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tuition.

Source: tuition on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.