plural HBCUs
: a college or university in the U.S. established before 1964 for African American students : a historically Black college or university
the state's largest HBCU

Note: The term HBCU was created as a federal designation during the 1986 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which expanded federal funding for colleges and universities.

HBCU

2 of 2

abbreviation

historically Black colleges and universities

Examples of HBCU in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
No Ceilings, his ’09 Grammys victory lap, opens with an unrelenting 4-minute remix of the HBCU classic. Pitchfork, 6 June 2025 The Rangers host theme nights throughout the year, including Mexican Heritage Night, HBCU Diamond Day and Hispanic Heritage Night. Alyssa Cooper, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2025 Add another accolade to the trophy case of a KC area HBCU. Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2025 Robert Latorre, Stephanie Jackson, Tina Messina and Larry Alecia will be tasked with driving ad sales across Allen Media Group’s 27 TV stations, its cable channels, syndicated TV portfolio and streaming platforms including HBCU Go and the Weather Channel Streaming App. William Earl, Variety, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for HBCU

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1980, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of HBCU was in 1980

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Cite this Entry

“HBCU.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/HBCU. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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