townspeople

plural noun

towns·​peo·​ple ˈtau̇nz-ˌpē-pəl How to pronounce townspeople (audio)
Synonyms of townspeoplenext
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
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That’s especially unfortunate when the prior episode ended on a cliffhanger with a gang of armed and angry townspeople arriving at the Black Spot for Hank. Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025 Soon, strange encounters with the townspeople, a nightly demonic visitor, and whispers of a secret church ceremony fuel Hannah’s fear that something more nefarious is at hand. Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 4 Dec. 2025 Jess Mariano, the bad-boy nephew of Luke Danes (Scott Patterson), drops into Stars Hollow in season 2 to upend Rory and Dean’s relationship and harass the townspeople to near insanity. Justin Kirkland, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025 After a 1951 avalanche that killed seven people, the townspeople banded together to ensure that Livigno wouldn’t be cut off anymore in the winter. Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 4 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for townspeople

Word History

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of townspeople was in 1587

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Cite this Entry

“Townspeople.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/townspeople. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

townspeople

plural noun
towns·​peo·​ple ˈtau̇nz-ˌpē-pəl How to pronounce townspeople (audio)
: the people who live in a town or city

More from Merriam-Webster on townspeople

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