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

Like other townships, money generated from mostly property taxes funds police, fire and road maintenance. —Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Feb. 2026

Earlier this month, the township board of trustees asked the planning commission to review a zoning ordinance that would relate to data centers. —Veronica Ortega, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026

Despite a history of human activity that dates back more than 6,000 years, the area wasn’t officially established as the municipality of Val di Fiemme until the three townships merged in January 2020. —Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

Several incumbent township trustees are running unopposed in the primary, but will have a race in the general. —Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 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)