village

noun

vil·​lage ˈvi-lij 

often attributive

1

a

: a settlement usually larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town

b

: an incorporated minor municipality

2

: the residents of a village

3

: something (such as an aggregation of burrows or nests) suggesting a village

4

: a territorial area having the status of a village especially as a unit of local government

Synonyms

• hamlet

Examples of village in a Sentence

Entire villages come to see the parade.

we stayed in a charming bed-and-breakfast in a lakeside village

Recent Examples on the Web

Inviting locations include the coastal villages of Dingle and Tralee in the southwest, the coastal city of Waterford in the southeast, and the Dublin suburb of Bray. —William P. Barrett, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025

Everything is peaches and cream in Smurfs village, where the beloved Smurfette (voiced by Rihanna) lives, until the evil Gargamel takes Papa Smurf (John Goodman). —Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 18 July 2025

Neighboring Homer Glen submitted a letter of objection to the county, saying the village limits solar energy projects to an industrial zoning district. —Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025

The eruption began just before 4 a.m. local time after a swarm of seismic activity according to the Icelandic Meteorological Service, prompting evacuations from the village of Grindavik and local tourist attractions including the popular Blue Lagoon spa. —Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 17 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French vilage, from vil manorial estate, farmstead, from Latin villa

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing village

• global village
• inter-village
• Potemkin village

Rhymes for village

• millage
• pillage
• spillage

Kids Definition

village

noun

vil·​lage ˈvil-ij 

1

: a place somewhat smaller than a town

2

: the people living in a village