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

The government’s latest consolidated toll stands at 289 dead, 4,187 injured and 143 missing, with more than 120,328 families registered as affected across 450 municipalities in 15 departments. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026

If all of those standards are not formally agreed to with the municipality, Shapiro says the state will back the town in blocking the data center. — Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026

Regulation, incentives and execution risk varies significantly across provinces, municipalities, Indigenous groups and other stakeholders. — Control Risks, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

The task force, representing municipalities, chambers of commerce, labor and the county’s diverse geographical areas, reviewed two dozen requests for money that totaled about $3 billion. — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Aug. 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