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 township stated that officials with the FAA are at the scene and investigating the incident. —David Chiu, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025

Port Huron’s city manager declined to comment for this story, saying the township has not presented the city with any resolution or request. —Anna Clark, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2025

The trio also made Yizo Yizo, a visceral and honest late-1990s South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) drama series set in a Johannesburg township school. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2025

Erin Glynn Seven villages and townships in Hamilton County have funding for police services on the ballot this year. —Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Oct. 2025

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)