SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

townsman

noun towns·man \ ˈtau̇nz-mən \

Definition of townsman

1 a :a native or resident of a town or city

b :an urban or urbane person

2 :a fellow citizen of a town

Examples of townsman in a Sentence

thousands of townsmen turned out to vote on the school budget

Recent Examples of townsman from the Web

As his friend Carl Foreman sought help, Cooper was less like Will Kane and more like the townsman who first offers to stand with the marshal but then, when no one else joins the effort, backs out.

— douglass k. daniel, Orange County Register, "Review: ‘High Noon’ book draws down on Hollywood blacklist," 16 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'townsman.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of townsman

before 12th century

townsman Synonyms

Synonyms

citizen, townie (or towny), burgher, villager

Antonyms

noncitizen

Related Words

townswoman; cliff dweller, denizen, dweller, habitant, inhabitant, national, native, occupant, resident, resider, subject; town, townsfolk, townspeople; suburbanite, urbanite

Near Antonyms

alien, foreigner, guest, nonnative, tourist, transient, visitor; gownsman

Learn More about townsman

See words that rhyme with townsman Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for townsman

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Examples: townsman in a Sentence