residency

noun

res·​i·​den·​cy ˈre-zə-dən(t)-sē 

ˈrez-dən(t)-,

ˈre-zə-ˌden(t)-

plural residencies

1

a

: a usually official place of residence

b

: a state or period of residence

a 20-year residency in the city

also : residence sense 2c

2

: a territory in a protected state in which the powers of the protecting state are executed by a resident agent

3

a

: a period of advanced training in a medical specialty that normally follows graduation from medical school and licensing to practice medicine

b

: residence sense 4b

c

: a period as an artist in residence

Synonyms

• habitation
• occupancy
• occupation
• possession

Examples of residency in a Sentence

You must meet the town's residency requirement in order to vote.

a four-year residency in the country

She recently completed her residency in pediatrics.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Lab builds on the festival’s Full Moon Script Contest, launched in 2020, which awards three creative residencies a year to winning writers in Transylvania. —Stjepan Hundic, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 June 2024

House Bill 182 gives harsher penalties to those who illegally occupy a home and increases penalties for those who provide false documents such as a lease or deed to prove their residency. —Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 20 June 2024

The organization helped Norma Serrano Castilla, who was also brought to the United States at a young age, get residency after years of her mother getting scammed by unscrupulous notaries acting as immigration attorneys. —Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2024

President Biden Tuesday unveiled an ambitious plan to fast-track permanent residency for immigrant spouses and children of American citizens. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 18 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

residency

noun

res·​i·​den·​cy ˈrez-əd-ən-sē 

-ə-ˌden(t)-

plural residencies

1

a

: a usually official place of residence

b

: a state or period of residence

a four-year residency in the country

c

: residence sense 2b

applied for residency

2

a

: a period of advanced training especially in a medical specialty that typically follows graduation from medical school

b

: residence sense 3b

Medical Definition

residency

noun

res·​i·​den·​cy ˈrez-əd-ən-sē 

plural residencies

: a period of advanced medical training and education that normally follows graduation from medical school and licensing to practice medicine and that consists of supervised practice of a specialty in a hospital and in its outpatient department and instruction from specialists on the hospital staff

Legal Definition

residency

noun

res·​i·​den·​cy ˈre-zə-dən-sē 

plural residencies

1

: an often official place of residence

2

: the condition of being a resident of a particular place