townspeople

plural noun

towns·​peo·​ple ˈtau̇nz-ˌpē-pəl 

1

: the inhabitants of a town or city : townsmen

2

: town-dwelling or town-bred persons

Examples of townspeople in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The story might have at least a modicum of suspense if any of the upstanding townspeople were seen as struggling with the idea of murdering a trusted friend. — Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026

Among townspeople interviewed by The Bee in August, suspicions over the poisonings centered on the idea that a homeowner, and probably a wealthy one, was trying to improve their vista at the expense of both the trees and beach goers. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026

The synthetic shapeshifter, wanted for intergalactic war crimes, has rewarded the townspeople with good health and prosperity in exchange for protecting her identity and taking up arms should trouble ever come to Rushville. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 15 Sep. 2026

Though Diestel went on to make clear that no one was proposing to turn bedrooms into brothels, introducing sexuality into a sacred context was enough to shake the little world of interconnected townspeople. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for townspeople

• people
• steeple
• businesspeople
• craftspeople
• laypeople
• salespeople
• tradespeople
• workpeople

Kids Definition

townspeople

plural noun

towns·​peo·​ple ˈtau̇nz-ˌpē-pəl 

: the people who live in a town or city