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

Israeli attacks have killed nearly four hundred people since April 16th and Israel’s forces have continued to destroy villages and consolidate territorial gains in southern Lebanon. —Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 May 2026

Here, the feel is of a car-free village where guests and day-tripping locals can mingle over pétanque games, art galleries, and craft workshops, casual and fine dining cuisine, and rejuvenating sessions in the spa’s Iyashi Dôme. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 May 2026

Set in a Himalayan village in Sikkim, the film traces the lives of women across three generations of a single family – their emotional inheritances, unspoken histories and daily negotiations. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 May 2026

Vis rewards slow exploration with short walks between coves and villages, Cinque Terre’s coastal paths can be tackled in single-day segments using the Cinque Terre Card, and the Wachau’s 22-mile Danube stretch can be broken into easy day hikes between baroque towns and vineyards. —Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 11 May 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