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
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Recent Examples of towns
From major cities to small towns, oceanfront townhouses to mountain cabins, California offers a wide variety of places to live.
—
Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026
Power poles were snapped and toppled near the Louisiana towns of Jena, Cheneyville and Donaldsonville, the weather service reported.
—Dallas Morning News, 15 Feb. 2026
Massachusetts’ First Congressional District covers 83 cities and towns across Western and Central Massachusetts, including in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester, and Berkshire counties.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Reports of raids on homes and workplaces have come from major cities and rural towns alike, revealing a dragnet that has touched large swaths of Iranian society.
—CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
But what really makes these towns special are the people who love them and share them with us.
—Becky Bartkowski, AZCentral.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Strong intergovernmental cooperation begins with treating cities and towns as true partners.
—Charlotte Observer, 14 Feb. 2026
Residents of two cities, towns and villages in Broward and 19 in Palm Beach County are electing local officials, deciding on referendums, or both.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
The mayor has publicly taken to task suburban towns for not providing adequate or any shelter services at all.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2026
Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026
Power poles were snapped and toppled near the Louisiana towns of Jena, Cheneyville and Donaldsonville, the weather service reported.
—Dallas Morning News, 15 Feb. 2026
Massachusetts’ First Congressional District covers 83 cities and towns across Western and Central Massachusetts, including in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester, and Berkshire counties.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Reports of raids on homes and workplaces have come from major cities and rural towns alike, revealing a dragnet that has touched large swaths of Iranian society.
—CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
But what really makes these towns special are the people who love them and share them with us.
—Becky Bartkowski, AZCentral.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Strong intergovernmental cooperation begins with treating cities and towns as true partners.
—Charlotte Observer, 14 Feb. 2026
Residents of two cities, towns and villages in Broward and 19 in Palm Beach County are electing local officials, deciding on referendums, or both.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
The mayor has publicly taken to task suburban towns for not providing adequate or any shelter services at all.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for towns
Noun
-
Singleton said his team is already working with teams in cities involved in hosting Cup matches, including the Los Angeles human trafficking task force.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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In essence, Britain and France would have to be willing to sacrifice their own cities to defend others.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The buzzing underground networks are an important part of the modern, urban lifestyle in Canada’s coldest metropolises, and can be fascinating — and disorienting — for visitors.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Southern metropolises like Charleston, Nashville, and New Orleans also made the cut.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Towns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/towns. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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