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

Rather than being run by the federal government, they’re conducted by election officials and volunteers in thousands of jurisdictions across the country, from tiny townships to sprawling urban counties with more voters than some states have people. —Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026

Quelimane became a Portuguese colonial town in 1761 and two years later was established as a concelho (township). —Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026

The Michigan Department of Attorney General has asked counties, townships and cities receiving opioid settlement funds to report how they've been spent. —CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026

Instead, they are administered by state and local election officials across thousands of jurisdictions, from small townships to large metropolitan counties. —Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 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)