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 settlements, Palestinian villages and the winding roads and checkpoints that connect – and divide – them. — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 21 July 2026

At some point in the mid-1850s, the river Padma suddenly carved a new path through the village of his ancestors in modern-day Bangladesh, flooding their homes and scattering them across the Indian subcontinent. — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

In towns such as La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, the village just north of Puerto Vallarta that was home to seven of the eight men killed in February, the strikes have spooked fishermen involved in legal activities who now fear being mistakenly targeted. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

The Oswego Village Board recently approved a loan and grant for a new breakfast and lunch restaurant planned in the village’s downtown. — Linda Girardi, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 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