as in citizen
a person who lives in a town on a permanent basis
thousands of townsmen turned out to vote on the school budget
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Recent Examples of townsman
These were probably composed by Sebastian Lotzer, a townsman and furrier, on the basis of hundreds of complaints that different groups of peasants had been formulating for weeks beforehand.
—
Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
One cut scene, Good recalls, featured a townsman sacrificing himself with a homemade net bomb.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 21 Aug. 2025
Every year, villagers in Brittany gathered to have their sins forgiven, dance the gavotte, and watch the young townsmen wrestle after denouncing the devil.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
According to respective Instagram posts from his show co-star Melissa Gilbert and son Clint Lilley, Lilley died Wednesday after a storied career as a Hollywood stuntman and actor, who played various roles on the beloved '70s historical drama, including a townsman and stagecoach driver.
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
The townsmen feared his razor-sharp teeth, lightning speed, and quick temper.
—Maeve Dunigan, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024
Whereas most of the townsmen had a stronger right upper arm bone than the left—suggesting difficult physical labor—some men buried on the hospital grounds had symmetrical arm bones, and their skeletal remains suggested a relatively long and healthy life.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2023
Mountaineers and townsmen of eastern Tennessee cam in hundreds to pack the auditorium.
—sandiegouniontribune.com, 11 July 2018
Our esteemed fellow-townsman Dr. Arnold is making a tour of Boise County on professional business.
—Arthur Hart, idahostatesman, 2 Mar. 2018
Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
One cut scene, Good recalls, featured a townsman sacrificing himself with a homemade net bomb.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 21 Aug. 2025
Every year, villagers in Brittany gathered to have their sins forgiven, dance the gavotte, and watch the young townsmen wrestle after denouncing the devil.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
According to respective Instagram posts from his show co-star Melissa Gilbert and son Clint Lilley, Lilley died Wednesday after a storied career as a Hollywood stuntman and actor, who played various roles on the beloved '70s historical drama, including a townsman and stagecoach driver.
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
The townsmen feared his razor-sharp teeth, lightning speed, and quick temper.
—Maeve Dunigan, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024
Whereas most of the townsmen had a stronger right upper arm bone than the left—suggesting difficult physical labor—some men buried on the hospital grounds had symmetrical arm bones, and their skeletal remains suggested a relatively long and healthy life.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2023
Mountaineers and townsmen of eastern Tennessee cam in hundreds to pack the auditorium.
—sandiegouniontribune.com, 11 July 2018
Our esteemed fellow-townsman Dr. Arnold is making a tour of Boise County on professional business.
—Arthur Hart, idahostatesman, 2 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for townsman
Noun
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Given the ubiquity of stories and humanity’s vulnerability to them, citizens today would be wise to practice the skills of literary analysis, the very techniques routinely derided and devalued in a world committed to technology and tribalism.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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DeSantis said state universities need to ensure Florida citizens are first in line for job opportunities.—
Lucy Marques,
Miami Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In the Isan region of Thailand, an ancestral spirit named Ba Yan has been worshiped by villagers for generations.—
Michael Lee Simpson,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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The film, which Jacir has spent eight years developing, centers on a group of Palestinian villagers whose lives are upended by British occupation, tracing the birth of a national movement that reverberates through generations.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Townsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/townsman. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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