town

noun

ˈtau̇n 

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

see also:

on the town

Synonyms of town

• city
• metropolis

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

Gretchen has a long-term boyfriend who lives in another town, but Amy hasn’t even dated since the early two-thousands. —David Sedaris, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

Perched along the east rim is the 585-acre Leonard Harrison State Park, located a quick, 10-mile drive from the quaint Victorian town of Wellsboro. —Anthony Fredericks, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026

Thompson said Carolina has always been the first one to welcome new families to town and does so much for the wives and girlfriends. —Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026

The spread of colleges into towns and cities across the country, which put a degree within reach of a growing share of the public, is one of the triumphs of postwar America. —Jeffrey Selingo, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English tūn enclosure, village, town; akin to Old High German zūn enclosure, Old Irish dún fortress

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Phrases Containing town

• blow town
• company town
• county town
• cow town
• dormitory town
• ghost town
• go to town
• hit the town
• in town
• man-about-town
• market town
• new town
• on the town
• out of town
• paint the town (red)
• shire town
• small-town
• steel town
• sundown town
• tank town
• the only game in town
• the talk of the town
• the town
• toast of the town
• town car
• town centre
• town clerk
• town crier
• town hall
• town house
• town manager
• town meeting
• twin town

Rhymes for town

• bown
• clown
• crown
• drown
• frown
• gown
• lown
• noun
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown

Kids Definition

town

noun

ˈtau̇n 

1

a

: a compactly settled area that is usually larger than a village but smaller than a city

b

: city sense 1

2

: the people of a town

town adjective