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 Canton Township Clerk's Office says more than 800 absentee ballots were left out of the township's unofficial election night reporting totals from the August primary. — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Our Michigan Public Policy Survey consistently gets responses from local officials in over 70% of Michigan’s 1,856 cities, villages, townships and counties. — Stephanie Leiser, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2026

For the exhibition, seven of Cerio’s photographs were blown up and mounted on panels on the side of a road in Gibellina, a township in Sicily. — News Desk, Artforum, 11 Aug. 2026

As early as 1682 townships were being established in Pennsylvania. — Scott Spires, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Aug. 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)