town hall

noun

1

: a public building used for town-government offices and meetings

2

: an event at which a public official or political candidate addresses an audience by answering questions posed by individual members

Town halls have lost some of their spontaneity. The 80 or so undecided voters chosen for Tuesday's event must submit their questions in advance and moderator Candy Crowley of CNN will decide which people to call on.

—Connie Cass

Examples of town hall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The actress and singer shirked the traditional white dress in favor of a custom suit courtesy of Giorgio Armani for her Montalcino town hall ceremony to now-husband Damiano David in Italy on Thursday. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026

Your parents knew the neighbors, went to town hall meetings, maybe joined a bowling league or Rotary or Knights of Columbus. — Jennifer Sirangelo, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Jackson has had difficulty generating the same enthusiasm among voters as his predecessor, Platner, who consistently held town halls across the state and had a viral social media presence. — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Superintendent Stephen Bournes spoke to a group of parents Wednesday night at a town hall meeting called to address their concerns about the future of the school at 3551 Block Ave. — Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for town hall

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

town hall

noun

: a public building used for offices and meetings of town government