municipality

noun

mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌni-sə-ˈpa-lə-tē How to pronounce municipality (audio)
plural municipalities
1
: a primarily urban political unit 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.

Example Sentences

laws that have been enacted by many states and municipalities a municipality with an excellent police department
Recent Examples on the Web With the energy transition in recent years has come a rising wave of community pushback that’s playing out from Delaware to California, as municipalities grapple with how clean energy technology and community responsibly coexist. Xander Peters, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2023 Although cannabis is legal statewide, no Southern California municipality or county has followed the lead of Oakland, San Francisco and Santa Cruz by decriminalizing magic mushrooms. Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2023 Legislative efforts to require fire-resistant materials in home construction had been repeatedly stymied by developers and municipalities, while taxpayers shouldered the growing cost of fighting the fires and rebuilding, ProPublica found. Jennifer Oldham, ProPublica, 15 May 2023 Polls open on Sunday, and Albanians will elect mayors and members of local councils across 61 municipalities. Chris Massaro, Fox News, 13 May 2023 Falls Church, an independent Northern Virginia municipality has about 14,000 residents in its 2.2 square miles. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 13 May 2023 Most municipalities have rules requiring pools and spas to be gated, but not all do—and some properties might not be compliant. Stefanie Waldek, House Beautiful, 9 May 2023 Crosby’s not sure when other cities might join the Compact, or even if the capacity exists today to bring on more municipalities right now. Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 7 May 2023 Key Facts The incident took place near Mladenovac, a municipality on the outskirts of Belgrade, when a gunman fired at people from a moving vehicle, Serbian public broadcaster RTS reported. Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 5 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'municipality.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of municipality was in 1790

Dictionary Entries Near municipality

Cite this Entry

“Municipality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/municipality. Accessed 2 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

municipality

noun
mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌnis-ə-ˈpal-ət-ē How to pronounce municipality (audio)
plural municipalities
: a self-governing city or town

Legal Definition

municipality

noun
mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌni-sə-ˈpa-lə-tē How to pronounce municipality (audio)
plural municipalities
: a primarily urban municipal corporation
also : the governing body of a municipality

More from Merriam-Webster on municipality

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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