municipality

noun

mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌni-sə-ˈpa-lə-tē 

plural municipalities

1

: a primarily urban political unit (such as a city or town) having corporate (see corporate sense 1a) status and usually powers of self-government

Elections were held in the municipality.

2

: the governing body of a municipality

The municipality approved the budget for the year.

Synonyms of municipality

• city
• town
• metropolis

Examples of municipality in a Sentence

laws that have been enacted by many states and municipalities

a municipality with an excellent police department

Recent Examples on the Web

Local building codes, as in California’s 58 counties and 483 municipalities, complicate the uniformity needed for mass production. —The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 27 Jan. 2026

The Patriots are one of a handful of NFL teams that own their stadiums—most operate the venues but are tenants to a municipality that owns them. —Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 26 Jan. 2026

Along with a number of other suburban municipalities, Geneva sits along Union Pacific’s West Line. —Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026

Salt supply Sherrill reiterated on Saturday that the Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal has plenty of salt for municipalities to treat roads and sidewalks with, even though some counties expressed concern about a shortage. —Mark Prussin, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for municipality

• bisexuality
• collegiality
• conditionality
• congeniality
• conventionality
• conviviality
• dimensionality
• directionality
• emotionality
• essentiality
• eventuality
• grammaticality

Kids Definition

municipality

noun

mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌnis-ə-ˈpal-ət-ē 

plural municipalities

: a self-governing city or town

Legal Definition

municipality

noun

mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌni-sə-ˈpa-lə-tē 

plural municipalities

: a primarily urban municipal corporation

also : the governing body of a municipality