townspeople

plural noun towns·peo·ple \ ˈtau̇nz-ˌpē-pəl \

|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

Definition of townspeople

1 : the inhabitants of a town or city : townsmen

2 : town-dwelling or town-bred persons

Recent Examples of townspeople from the Web

On a hill is the grove of trees that Manuel planted for townspeople to enjoy.

— matías costa, Smithsonian, "The Battle Over the Memory of the Spanish Civil War," 28 June 2018
But the army — stung by a previous encounter where troops were ambushed by townspeople — didn’t arrive.

— Washington Post, "In Mexico, rising ‘mass crime’ defies security forces," 27 June 2018
Clearly, Santopietro identifies more with Scout, Jem and Dill than with, say, Boo Radley, the town recluse who probably wouldn’t yearn for that simpler time when the townspeople regarded him with open distance and mistrust.

— New York Times, "Lots of People Love ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ Roxane Gay Isn’t One of Them.," 18 June 2018
The townspeople of Long Grove, Illinois in suburban Chicago spent years debating whether to save or demolish the old one-lane covered bridge that spanned Buffalo Creek.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Town tried to protect old bridge with a landmark status. Then this truck came along," 29 June 2018
Clearly, Santopietro identifies more with Scout, Jem and Dill than with, say, Boo Radley, the town recluse who probably wouldn’t yearn for that simpler time when the townspeople regarded him with open distance and mistrust.

— constance grady, Vox, "They say a preposition is something you should never end a sentence with. That’s nonsense.," 23 June 2018
Now, the church bells that used to call the townspeople to mass served as a warning system.

— kyra gurney, miamiherald, "Nicaragua's revolutionary town now a war zone defended by teenagers armed with rocks," 7 June 2018
The 2018-19 budget proposal will go before the townspeople for a public hearing Monday, May 7.

— janice steinhagen, Courant Community, "Plainfield Budget Proposal Would Spell Mil Rate Drop," 24 Apr. 2018
There, members of the military and community leaders spoke before townspeople.

— manon l. mirabelli, Courant Community, "Memorial Day Ceremonies Honor Sacrifices," 4 June 2018

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

First Known Use of townspeople

1587

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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TOWNSPEOPLE Defined for English Language Learners

townspeople

noun

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: the people who live in a town or city

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