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borough

noun

bor·​ough ˈbər-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce borough (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Officials have now put the power to track noise into the hands of the people, in order to help lower the volume across the five boroughs. Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025 What is unusual is the borough’s wavering property values over the past decade. Robert Frank,carlos Waters, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2025 Ultimately, the heart of his mission centers on expanding the pantry model to every borough and increasing the number of scholarships. Nick Franck, USA Today, 24 Nov. 2025 The duo, comprised of Saso and akathedarknight, already had a banner year winning LAMC’s 2025 Discovery Award, playing Summerstage and a riotous borough tour, and scoring major collabs (Saso was just featured on Rauw Alejandro’s album). Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for borough

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of borough was before the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Borough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borough. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

borough

noun
bor·​ough ˈbər-ō How to pronounce borough (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on borough

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