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

Further afield, there are cycling tours through local villages, treks through rainforests, even cable car rides. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

The ministry identified him as 26-year-old Imad Haroun Ishtayeh from the village of Salem, east of Nablus. —Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026

The explosion occurred Sunday at noon in Kaungtup village, Namhkam township in Shan State near the Chinese border. —ABC News, 1 June 2026

See photos from villages near the lake and read stories from residents about how life has changed. —Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 1 June 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