… but there is also about it just the trace of the nettlesome righteousness that alienated much of Washington during his tenure there, the not-so-subtle suggestion that while he might be in politics, he is not of politics and certainly not, God forbid, a politician. Jim Wooten, New York Times Magazine, 29 Jan. 1995Pittsburgh's offensive linemen, trap blockers during Noll's tenure, had to bulk up for the straight-ahead game. Paul Zimmerman, Sports Illustrated, 9 Nov. 1992A mural on the upper half of a four-story guesthouse was painted in 1977 by twelve-year-old schoolchildren, whose tenure on the scaffold must have thrilled their parents. John McPhee, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 1988 During his tenure as head coach, the team won the championship twice. her 12-year tenure with the company His tenure in office will end with the next election. After seven years I was finally granted tenure. He hopes to get tenure next year. The defendant did not have tenure on the land. land tenure in Anglo-Saxon Britain See More
Recent Examples on the WebAfter his five-year tenure as an independent counsel, Mr. Starr resumed active duty in 1999 with the law firm Kirkland & Ellis as an appellate attorney and taught at law schools. Jess Bravin, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022 Pargas said he's received support from community members despite the controversy, and hopes his 24-year tenure as county commissioner speaks for itself. Olivia Osteen, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2022 While Queen Elizabeth II was a constant presence in British life during her record-long tenure, the monarch fought to keep her family’s private affairs out of the public eye, attempting to avoid controversy. Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2022 With Power coming off the worst season of his Penske tenure -- 9th in the championship, a single pole and more finishes out of the top 10 (nine) than in it (seven) -- Liz Power made a proclamation. Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Sep. 2022 What happened Sunday surprised much of the NFL world and allowed Eberflus to start his Bears tenure at 1-0. Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2022 No coach in this span has won more than four in a row to start his tenure. Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2022 The Mike McDaniel era begins in Miami, and the first-time head coach starts his tenure against Bill Belichick, who is third all time with 321 career coaching victories, including playoffs. ... David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 10 Sep. 2022 The New York Times had a big article Thursday on the release of a memoir by Geoffrey Berman about his tenure leading the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, 10 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, "possession of land under obligation to a superior, the land so held," borrowed from Anglo-French tenure, teneure, going back to Gallo-Romance *tenitūra "act of possessing," from Latin ten-, base of tenēre "to hold, possess" + -it-, generalized from past participles ending in -itus + -ūra-ure — more at tenant entry 1
Note: A number of renderings of the word in Medieval Latin from the 11th century on (as tenetura, tenatura, tentura, tenura, etc.) may reflect stages in the passage from Latin to French or attempts to Latinize a vernacular form.