village

noun

vil·​lage ˈvi-lij 

often attributive

1

a

: a settlement usually larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town

b

: an incorporated minor municipality

2

: the residents of a village

3

: something (such as an aggregation of burrows or nests) suggesting a village

4

: a territorial area having the status of a village especially as a unit of local government

Synonyms of village

• hamlet

Examples of village in a Sentence

Entire villages come to see the parade.

we stayed in a charming bed-and-breakfast in a lakeside village

Recent Examples on the Web

Advocates have raised concerns in recent years with polling locations in some villages opening late or ballots not arriving on time to be fully counted due to mail delays. — Becky Bohrer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

Set in a small village from Sierra Morena, the story turns on a group of astrophysicists investigating mysterious flickering lights, until one of them-Sara starts to believe the light might be her deceased father trying to communicate. — Annika Pham, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026

During the state elections in 1967, Jagdish Master, a teacher turned activist, challenged the veto of the landlords over Dalit suffrage by escorting a group of Dalits to a polling booth in Ekwari, a village in Bihar’s Bhojpur district. — Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026

Once a thriving fishing village, the island was abandoned when motorboats became commonplace in the mid-20th century, and fishing communities no longer needed to live close to spawning grounds. — Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French vilage, from vil manorial estate, farmstead, from Latin villa

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing village

• global village
• inter-village
• Potemkin village

Rhymes for village

• millage
• pillage
• spillage

Kids Definition

village

noun

vil·​lage ˈvil-ij 

1

: a place somewhat smaller than a town

2

: the people living in a village