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

• bourg
• hamlet
• townlet
• vill
• whistle-stop

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

Guatemalan security forces during a mission to eradicate opium poppies last month in Vista Quetzal village, Tajumulco, San Marcos. —Simon Romero Daniele Volpe, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2024

Here, our totally subjective, state-by-state list of the most beautiful places in the U.S. Alabama: Magnolia Springs Mail is delivered by boat — the last year-round river mail delivery in the country — in this small coastal village along the Magnolia River. —Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2024

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

Kids Definition

village

noun

vil·​lage ˈvil-ij 

1

: a place somewhat smaller than a town

2

: the people living in a village