1
: characterized by or relating to position in space : having a definite spatial form or location
2
a
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a particular place : not general or widespread
b
: of, relating to, or applicable to part of a whole
3
a
: primarily serving the needs of a particular limited district
b
of a public conveyance
: making all the stops on a route
4
: involving or affecting only a restricted part of the organism : topical
a local anesthetic
5
: of or relating to telephone communication within a specified area
: a local person or thing: such as
a
: a local public conveyance (such as a train or an elevator)
b
: a local or particular branch, lodge, or chapter of an organization (such as a labor union)
c
British
: a nearby or neighborhood pub
Examples of local in a Sentence
Adjective
We had dinner at a local restaurant.
The police have arrested a local man for the crime.
This is a local shop for local people: we don't get many outsiders here.
She took the local bus.
Noun
He's the president of the union local at the factory.
the truck drivers are members of Local 349 of the Teamsters' Union
Recent Examples on the Web
Alexander Smith, NBC news, 26 Dec. 2025
Skybound Entertainment, no stranger to end-of-times narratives thanks to its work on The Walking Dead, controls the rights and struck a deal with Prime Video Nordics to local rights, while shopping it elsewhere.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Dec. 2025
Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Dec. 2025
The group of about a half-dozen protesters — which has also become a resource for the confused family members who sometimes show up outside the center’s gates — includes the widow of a Florida federal judge, retirees, locals and a high school student.
—Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for local
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
His family lives in a tent encampment in the southern city of Khan Younis, where his kids are given Arabic lessons using a scrap of blackboard and fed rice at a local soup kitchen.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 26 Dec. 2025
Skybound Entertainment, no stranger to end-of-times narratives thanks to its work on The Walking Dead, controls the rights and struck a deal with Prime Video Nordics to local rights, while shopping it elsewhere.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Dec. 2025
Noun
With space for a little more than 30 cars, Weinberg hopes locals will use alternate transportation to arrive, aided by new sidewalks planned along Gallatin Pike.
—Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Dec. 2025
The group of about a half-dozen protesters — which has also become a resource for the confused family members who sometimes show up outside the center’s gates — includes the widow of a Florida federal judge, retirees, locals and a high school student.
—Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for local
Cite this Entry
“Local.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/local. Accessed 26 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
local
1 of 2 adjective
lo·cal
ˈlō-kəl 
1
: of or relating to position in space
2
: relating to a particular place
local news
a local custom
3
: serving the needs of a certain district
local government
4
: involving or affecting only a small part of the body
a local infection
locally
adverb
-kə-lē
local
2 of 2 noun1
: a public vehicle (as a bus or train) that makes all of the stops or most of the stops along its route
2
: a local branch (as of a lodge or labor union)
Medical Definition
local
1 of 2 adjective
lo·cal
ˈlō-kəl
: involving or affecting only a restricted part of the organism
local inflammation
compare systemic sense a
local
2 of 2 noun
: local anesthetic
also
: local anesthesia
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