1
a
: a compactly settled area usually larger than a village but smaller than a city
b
: a compactly settled area as distinguished from surrounding rural territory
c
: a large densely populated urban area : city
d
: an English village having a periodic fair or market
2
: a particular town or city under consideration
the circus came to town
3
: the city or urban life as contrasted with the country
4
a
: the inhabitants of a city or town
practically the whole town turned out for the parade
b
: the townspeople of a college or university town as distinct from the academic community
relations between town and gown
5
: a New England territorial and political unit usually containing under a single town government both rural areas and urban areas not having their own charter of incorporation
also
: a New England community governed by a town meeting
6
dialectal, England
: a cluster or aggregation of houses recognized as a distinct place with a place-name : hamlet
7
: a group of prairie dog burrows
town
adjective
Examples of town in a Sentence
the town of Jackson, Florida
The nearest shopping mall is two towns away.
The town plans to increase property taxes.
We're heading to town later on.
Recent Examples on the Web
The deaths happened after Super Typhoon Ragasa’s outer bands brought heavy rain to Hualien county, causing a barrier lake in the mountains to overflow and unleash a wall of water onto the small town of Guangfu.
—
Reuters, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025
Her journey has brought her to Cloonboo, a town devastated by the Great Famine that ravaged the land between 1845 and 1852.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
To put a number to it, the Charlotte region can expect to see almost 1,300 new apartments, 1,110 single-family homes and just over 100 town homes in the coming years, according to this month’s dispatches.
—Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2025
The Mississippi River town's recent water woes started in January 2024, when a well pump failure led to a multi-week system failure that left 1,400 of the city's residents without water.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for town
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Reuters, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025
Her journey has brought her to Cloonboo, a town devastated by the Great Famine that ravaged the land between 1845 and 1852.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
To put a number to it, the Charlotte region can expect to see almost 1,300 new apartments, 1,110 single-family homes and just over 100 town homes in the coming years, according to this month’s dispatches.
—Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2025
The Mississippi River town's recent water woes started in January 2024, when a well pump failure led to a multi-week system failure that left 1,400 of the city's residents without water.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for town
Cite this Entry
“Town.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/town. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
town
noun1
a
: a compactly settled area that is usually larger than a village but smaller than a city
b
2
: the people of a town
town
adjective
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