borough

noun

bor·​ough ˈbər-(ˌ)ō 

ˈbə-(ˌ)rō

1

a

: a medieval fortified group of houses forming a town with special duties and privileges

b

: a town or urban constituency in Great Britain that sends a member to Parliament

c

: an urban area in Great Britain incorporated for purposes of self-government

2

a

: a municipal corporation proper in some states (such as New Jersey and Minnesota) corresponding to the incorporated town or village of the other states

b

: one of the five constituent political divisions of New York City

3

: a civil division of the state of Alaska corresponding to a county in most other states

Examples of borough in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The city's Department of Transportation says more than half a million people took part in Summer Streets events across the five boroughs last year. — Elijah Westbrook, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026

Manager Robert Attermann said Pastore, a longtime resident of the Bronx borough of New York City, died at home. — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 1 Aug. 2026

After scouring recent and archival shopping coverage in The Times, and seeking recommendations from Styles reporters, editors and contributors, nearly 90 stores across the five boroughs emerged as contenders. — New York Times, 31 July 2026

The Center at West Park is located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and serves all five boroughs of New York City. — Brent Lang, Variety, 29 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English burgh, from Old English burg fortified town; akin to Old High German burg fortified place, and probably to Old English beorg hill — more at barrow

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing borough

• borough English
• borough hall
• county borough
• inter-borough
• metropolitan borough
• municipal borough
• pocket borough
• rotten borough

Rhymes for borough

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

borough

noun

bor·​ough ˈbər-ō 

1

a

: a town or urban area in Great Britain that sends a member to Parliament

b

: a self-governing urban area in Great Britain

2

: a self-governing town or village in some states

3

: one of the five political divisions of New York City