township

noun

town·​ship ˈtau̇n-ˌship 

1

a

: town sense 5

b

: a unit of local government in some northeastern and north central states usually having a chief administrative officer or board

c

: an unorganized subdivision of the county in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont

d

: an electoral and administrative district of the county in the southern U.S.

2

: a division of territory in surveys of U.S. public land containing 36 sections or 36 square miles

3

: an area in the Republic of South Africa that was segregated under apartheid for occupation by persons of non-European descent

4

: an ancient unit of administration in England identical in area with or a division of a parish

Examples of township in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While a county clerk has some roles in Michigan elections, the specific responsibility for updating voter registration records and issuing notices on those matters is with the local city or township clerks, the letter said. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026

Wixom and Keego Harbor moved up from the lowest tier into the middle, while Oxford and Rose townships rose from the middle tier into the highest. —Grigoris Argeros, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026

There are no state mandates requiring cities, counties or townships to fly the new flag. —Matthew Stolle, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026

Earthrise Energy expects to start construction on its 260-megawatt solar farm that will cross farmlands in Crete, Washington, Will and Monee townships early next year. —Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Kids Definition

township

noun

town·​ship ˈtau̇n-ˌship 

1

: a unit of local government in some northeastern and north central states

2

: a division of territory in surveys of U.S. public land containing 36 square miles (about 93 square kilometers)