township

noun

town·​ship ˈtau̇n-ˌship 

1

a

: town sense 5

b

: a unit of local government in some northeastern and north central states usually having a chief administrative officer or board

c

: an unorganized subdivision of the county in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont

d

: an electoral and administrative district of the county in the southern U.S.

2

: a division of territory in surveys of U.S. public land containing 36 sections or 36 square miles

3

: an area in the Republic of South Africa that was segregated under apartheid for occupation by persons of non-European descent

4

: an ancient unit of administration in England identical in area with or a division of a parish

Examples of township in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The state paid Orland Township $1 per year for the previous lease at the township offices, which the township board voted 3-2 to cancel in July 2025 after some board members raised concerns about safety and parking. — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026

The three people were found dead in a home on Winding Way near the township's border with Eastampton, according to the prosecutor's office. — Cbs Philadelphia, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026

The township restricted the use of local personnel, money, equipment, facilities and databases for civil immigration enforcement and barred detention solely on an administrative immigration warrant or civil detainer. — Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2026

That rhetoric may play well in the suburbs, but in the Black township of Alexandra, DA candidate Selaelo Stephinah Mohlala takes a different approach. — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Kids Definition

township

noun

town·​ship ˈtau̇n-ˌship 

1

: a unit of local government in some northeastern and north central states

2

: a division of territory in surveys of U.S. public land containing 36 square miles (about 93 square kilometers)