as in cities
a thickly settled, highly populated area
after driving for miles with nothing but corn and wheat fields to look at, we were relieved to roll into a small town and have a bite to eat at the local diner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of towns
Many of those that still produce a large share of their products in cities and towns such as Geneva, Vevey, and Zurich—like Nestlé’s Nespresso coffee arm, DSM-Firmenich, and heavy industrial equipment makers like ABB and Hitachi Energy—are unusual in being able to do so competitively.
—
Peter Vanham, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Longer-range drones are also routinely used to strike towns and cities close to the front.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
Come October, New Yorkers looking to escape the city for a long weekend trade the coastal enclaves of the Hamptons for the golden hiking trails and quaint little towns of Upstate New York—and nowhere is this mass exodus more visible than in the Catskills.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025
This behavior is legally acceptable in some towns and unclear or forbidden in others.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 Sep. 2025
Here are a few of the best towns to visit when traveling to Calabria.
—Gary Portuesi, Travel + Leisure, 30 Sep. 2025
In America, this first China Shock led to over a million manufacturing workers losing their jobs and many industrial towns falling into doomspirals.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
In Switzerland, holiday cheer takes over cities and towns as the days grow shorter and sparkling lights stretch across avenues and alleyways.
—AFAR Media, 24 Sep. 2025
In most entries, players walk around areas outside of towns and run into Pokémon to battle.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
Peter Vanham, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Longer-range drones are also routinely used to strike towns and cities close to the front.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
Come October, New Yorkers looking to escape the city for a long weekend trade the coastal enclaves of the Hamptons for the golden hiking trails and quaint little towns of Upstate New York—and nowhere is this mass exodus more visible than in the Catskills.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025
This behavior is legally acceptable in some towns and unclear or forbidden in others.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 Sep. 2025
Here are a few of the best towns to visit when traveling to Calabria.
—Gary Portuesi, Travel + Leisure, 30 Sep. 2025
In America, this first China Shock led to over a million manufacturing workers losing their jobs and many industrial towns falling into doomspirals.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
In Switzerland, holiday cheer takes over cities and towns as the days grow shorter and sparkling lights stretch across avenues and alleyways.
—AFAR Media, 24 Sep. 2025
In most entries, players walk around areas outside of towns and run into Pokémon to battle.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for towns
Noun
-
Many of those that still produce a large share of their products in cities and towns such as Geneva, Vevey, and Zurich—like Nestlé’s Nespresso coffee arm, DSM-Firmenich, and heavy industrial equipment makers like ABB and Hitachi Energy—are unusual in being able to do so competitively.—
Peter Vanham,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Ironman races are held in locations around the world, from coastal cities to desert landscapes.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Jia founded the Pingyao International Film Festival in his home province of Shanxi, choosing the ancient city over modern metropolises like Beijing or Shanghai.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
28 Sep. 2025
-
But Gorman also cautioned that even if the bold ideas put forth by Musk and Bezos are realized fully, with bustling metropolises constructed among the stars, humanity will eventually need to look back toward home.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Towns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/towns. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share