Definition of town
1a : a compactly settled area usually larger than a village but smaller than a cityb : a compactly settled area as distinguished from surrounding rural territoryc : a large densely populated urban area : cityd : 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
4a : the inhabitants of a city or town practically the whole town turned out for the paradeb : 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
adjectiveon the town
: in usually carefree pursuit of entertainment or amusement (such as city nightlife) especially as a relief from routine
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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
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Garnica’s cousin Iris Garnica said working in restaurants was his passion and led him to jobs in most every eatery in town.
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Brandon Barbero lives in the town of Beckley, West Virginia, which counts a coal mine exhibition among the city’s attractions.
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The graduation ceremony in the desert town of Ain Issa, north of Raqqa, was attended by a few American trainers who oversee the force and its preparation.
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With JLaw in town last weekend for her fundraising events at the Frazier Museum, that account makes sense.
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The coldest and most simple dessert in town comes from Chocolate Chair.
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When she and another girl from her town were granted one of the few scholarships to Elliot Academy’s summer school, their conservative Christian church raised funds to cover the rest.
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The congressman has come under fire by some constituents because of his refusal to hold public town hall meetings and his support for President Donald Trump.
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The militias captured the town of Baaj, and then proceeded to the Syrian border, putting Iran on the cusp of completing its corridor.
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.
Origin and Etymology of town
Middle English, from Old English tūn enclosure, village, town; akin to Old High German zūn enclosure, Old Irish dún fortress
TOWN Defined for English Language Learners
town
playDefinition of town for English Language Learners
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: a place where people live that is larger than a village but smaller than a city
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: the people in a town
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the town : the government of a town
TOWN Defined for Kids
town
playDefinition of town for Students
1 : a thickly settled area that is usually larger than a village but smaller than a city
2 : the people of a town The whole town came out to watch the parade.
Learn More about town
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See words that rhyme with town Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for town Spanish Central: Translation of town Nglish: Translation of town for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of town for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about town
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