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.
historically Black colleges and universities
Examples of HBCU in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
The Celebrity Game will be followed by the HBCU Classic between Coastal Athletic Assn.
—Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The average viewer at home might not get ignited by instruments the same way a Preservation Hall session or HBCU homecoming crowd would.
—Yifan Wu, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Through the partnership, the HBCU’s basketball team is also developing a new content series for brand partners and using accurate ROI attribution to expand commercial conversations.
—Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for HBCU
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Noun
Eleven Texas schools will get their own nights and the Rangers will also host an HBCU night.
—Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
The Celebrity Game will be followed by the HBCU Classic between Coastal Athletic Assn.
—Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The average viewer at home might not get ignited by instruments the same way a Preservation Hall session or HBCU homecoming crowd would.
—Yifan Wu, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Through the partnership, the HBCU’s basketball team is also developing a new content series for brand partners and using accurate ROI attribution to expand commercial conversations.
—Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for HBCU
Cite this Entry
“HBCU.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/HBCU. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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