townspeople

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

Updated on: 16 Apr 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

But for the dream to come true, enough housing permits would have to be obtained from Wasco and Jefferson counties (the ranch sits in both), and problems with the townspeople of Antelope would have to be resolved.

— wendla mcgovern, The New Republic, "Range War: The Disciples Come to Antelope," 12 Apr. 2018
This grim procession proceeds slowly through town, as the townspeople watch furtively from their windows – avoiding and yet anticipating a moral reckoning.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "'High Noon' meets the Holocaust? Somehow it works in '1945'," 4 Apr. 2018
Venezuela's chief prosecutor reported late Wednesday that 68 people died in a fire that swept through the cell area inside a police station, which townspeople said followed a disturbance by detainees being held there.

— Fox News, "At least 68 die after Venezuela prison riot, fire," 29 Mar. 2018
Two days after the shooting, Rekdahl provided one of the first accounts of what occurred inside the veterans home just before the killings, as other residents of the complex and townspeople tried to come to grips with the carnage.

— maura dolan, latimes.com, "Witness recounts harrowing entry of Yountville gunman as residents and townspeople mourn," 12 Mar. 2018
Angry relatives fought with police outside the facility Wednesday after being unable to get any information on casualties from Wednesday's fire, which townspeople said erupted after a disturbance involving detainees.

— juan carlos hernandez, Fox News, "Angry families demand facts on deadly Venezuela jail riot," 29 Mar. 2018
Venezuela's chief prosecutor reported late Wednesday that 68 people were killed by a fire that erupted inside a police station, which townspeople said followed a disturbance by detainees being held there.

— juan carlos hernandez, chicagotribune.com, "Official: 68 dead in Venezuela after riot, fire hit police station," 29 Mar. 2018
In fact, the balaclava was invented during the frigid Crimean War just after the Battle of Balaklava, when local townspeople knitted caps for the soldiers to wear underneath their helmets.

— brooke bobb, Vogue, "Can You Wear a Balaclava in Real Life? One Vogue Writer Puts the Fall 2018 Trend to the Test," 28 Mar. 2018
In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey, and to the lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, or possibly palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of homage.

— david grunfeld, NOLA.com, "Celebrating Palm Sunday at Mary Queen of Peace in Mandeville," 26 Mar. 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.

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TOWNSPEOPLE Defined for English Language Learners

townspeople

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: the people who live in a town or city

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