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

This parade will be visible across New York Harbor and dovetails with the new mayor’s goal of spreading tourists around the five boroughs. —John Calvelli, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026

Hochul will need substantial turnout in the five boroughs, which skew heavily blue, compared to Republican-leaning areas in upstate New York and Long Island. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026

There are also 20 mobile warming units across the five boroughs designed for people who do not want to share rooms or are skeptical of other options. —Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026

The run will also find Simon returning to his home borough of Queens, New York, with a July 8 gig at Forest Hills Stadium. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 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