town

noun \ ˈtau̇n \

|Updated on: 3 Aug 2018

Examples: town in a Sentence

Definition of town

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

— on the town

: in usually carefree pursuit of entertainment or amusement (such as city nightlife) especially as a relief from routine

See town defined for English-language learners

See town defined for kids

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 of town from the Web

Applicants may face a wait of up to two years to qualify for housing, but placing their name on the list will ensure they are notified of any openings in one of the town’s four housing complexes, housing authority Director Allen Harrison said.

— bill leukhardt, Courant Community, "Waiting List Open For Southington Housing Authority Apartments," 13 July 2018
The two thought the train was going to stop again on the other side of town, according to the station.

— scott berson, charlotteobserver, "Train-hoppers call 911 clinging to locomotive: ‘It’s going really, really fast!’," 12 July 2018
The Democrat admitted to taking $15,300 from the FBI informant, who posed as a fictional out-of-town developer, and helping him defraud the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

— nicholas bogel-burroughs, baltimoresun.com, "Prosecutors ask judge to sentence former Maryland Sen. Nathaniel Oaks to 5 years in prison," 12 July 2018
But a funny thing has happened on Franco’s way out of town.

— scott lauber, Philly.com, "Phillies' Maikel Franco making a play to stay | Extra Innings," 12 July 2018
An out-of-town friend lost her husband suddenly and has requested an alternative way for family and loved ones to show their support.

— Southern Living, "Manners in Times of Sorrow: Your Questions Answered," 12 July 2018
Check out the rich architecture that fills this part of town.

— todd plummer, Vogue, "A Perfect Weekend Away in Dublin," 11 July 2018
His top deputy, who took the meeting in Kim’s absence, said his boss was out of town without revealing what was more important than a sit-down with the top U.S. diplomat.

— adam k. raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "Kim Jong-un Blew Off Mike Pompeo to Visit a Potato Farm," 11 July 2018
And more is coming: Part of I-465 on the south side of town will close this fall.

— ethan may, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis road construction: Section of I-465 to undergo overnight concrete patching during weekends," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'town.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.