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

Fans were buzzing Thursday evening at a playoff pep rally at the Wintrust Sports Complex in southwest suburban Bedford Park, where the village hosted a Ben Johnson lookalike contest. —Victor Jacobo, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026

Rescuers retrieved eight people alive and were searching for the missing still trapped after a huge mound of garbage and debris collapsed on them in the village of Binaliw in Cebu city, police said. —CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026

Rita sued Tinley Park and Orland Township as well as village and township officials in federal court in 2023, alleging his constitutional rights were denied and that he was blocked from taking part in or holding community events, specifically in Tinley Park. —Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026

McKernan noted that the town’s lure isn’t just the snow, but also the village and Big Bear Alpine Zoo. —Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 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