faculty
noun
fac·ul·ty
ˈfa-kəl-tē 
plural faculties
1
a
: innate or acquired ability to act or do
man … how infinite in faculty—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
b
: an inherent capability, power, or function
the faculty of hearing
c
: any of the powers of the mind (such as will, reason, or instinct) formerly held by psychologists to form a basis for the explanation of all mental phenomena
d
: natural aptitude
has a faculty for saying the right things
2
a
: a branch of teaching or learning (such as law, medicine, or liberal arts) in an educational institution
b
archaic
: something in which one is trained or qualified
3
a
: the members of a profession
b
: the teaching and administrative staff and those members of the administration having academic rank in an educational institution
an excellent mathematics faculty
c
faculty plural
: faculty members
many faculty were present
4
: power, authority, or prerogative given or conferred
The state has the faculty to define treason.
Examples of faculty in a Sentence
She's a member of the Harvard faculty.
The school hired more faculty.
a meeting with students and faculty
She has a faculty for making friends.
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Recent Examples on the Web
The school is asking students who do not live on campus to not come to the school Monday—and faculty and staff are being advised to stay away as well, with only essential personnel asked to report to work.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
In response, students, faculty and pro-Palestinian activists rallied to protest the school's decision.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Its campus child care facilities previously handled a total of 4,500 children, though most of those slots — as at many institutions with child care on campus, nationwide — went to faculty and staff.
—Jon Marcus, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
But with many Jewish students, faculty and alumni raising alarms, and with the federal government investigating dozens of schools, some administrators have tried to take more assertive steps to control their campuses.
—Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
The suit names Indianapolis Public Schools and the boy’s teacher as defendants, as well as numerous other members of faculty and staff.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Elon University was praised for encouraging the community to learn more about the Oct. 7 attack and hosting an event attended by more than 200 students and faculty and staff members.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
But, faculty members say, the campus needs billions more to repair and maintain aging buildings, offer competitive salaries, accommodate growing enrollment and even afford regular cleaning.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The couple are faculty members in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences and co-directors of the Human-Animal Interaction Research Initiative (HAIRI) at the University of Arizona.
—Trilce Estrada Olvera, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
Chris Morris, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
In response, students, faculty and pro-Palestinian activists rallied to protest the school's decision.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Its campus child care facilities previously handled a total of 4,500 children, though most of those slots — as at many institutions with child care on campus, nationwide — went to faculty and staff.
—Jon Marcus, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
But with many Jewish students, faculty and alumni raising alarms, and with the federal government investigating dozens of schools, some administrators have tried to take more assertive steps to control their campuses.
—Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
The suit names Indianapolis Public Schools and the boy’s teacher as defendants, as well as numerous other members of faculty and staff.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Elon University was praised for encouraging the community to learn more about the Oct. 7 attack and hosting an event attended by more than 200 students and faculty and staff members.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
But, faculty members say, the campus needs billions more to repair and maintain aging buildings, offer competitive salaries, accommodate growing enrollment and even afford regular cleaning.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The couple are faculty members in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences and co-directors of the Human-Animal Interaction Research Initiative (HAIRI) at the University of Arizona.
—Trilce Estrada Olvera, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'faculty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to faculty
Dictionary Entries Near faculty
Cite this Entry
“Faculty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faculty. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
faculty
noun
fac·ul·ty
ˈfak-əl-tē
plural faculties
1
: ability to do something : talent
a faculty for making friends
2
: one of the powers of the mind or body
the faculty of hearing
3
: the teachers in a school or college
Medical Definition
faculty
noun
fac·ul·ty
ˈfak-əl-tē
plural faculties
1
a
: an inherent capability, power, or function
the faculty of hearing
digestive faculty
b
: one of the powers of the mind formerly held by psychologists to form a basis for the explanation of all mental phenomena
2
a
: the members of a profession
b
: the teaching and administrative staff and those members of the administration having academic rank in an educational institution
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