1
a
: a compactly settled area usually larger than a village but smaller than a city
b
: a compactly settled area as distinguished from surrounding rural territory
c
: a large densely populated urban area : city
d
: an English village having a periodic fair or market
2
: a particular town or city under consideration
the circus came to town
3
: the city or urban life as contrasted with the country
4
a
: the inhabitants of a city or town
practically the whole town turned out for the parade
b
: the townspeople of a college or university town as distinct from the academic community
relations between town and gown
5
: a New England territorial and political unit usually containing under a single town government both rural areas and urban areas not having their own charter of incorporation
also
: a New England community governed by a town meeting
6
dialectal, England
: a cluster or aggregation of houses recognized as a distinct place with a place-name : hamlet
7
: a group of prairie dog burrows
town
adjective
see also:
Examples of town in a Sentence
the town of Jackson, Florida
The nearest shopping mall is two towns away.
The town plans to increase property taxes.
We're heading to town later on.
Recent Examples on the Web
About 93% of 35,000 villages, towns and cities selected their mayors in the first round last week, with mostly one or two candidates, not associated with any party, competing.
—
Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
An Iranian missile attack on Saturday hit the southern Israeli desert town of Dimona, badly wounding a child, according to Israel's ambulance service, and injuring dozens of others.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
And in the northern Israeli town of Misgav Am, one man was killed when artillery fired by Hezbollah struck his car.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2026
As winters become shorter and warmer because of climate change, there are also questions about the future of this ski resort town.
—Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for town
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.
Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
An Iranian missile attack on Saturday hit the southern Israeli desert town of Dimona, badly wounding a child, according to Israel's ambulance service, and injuring dozens of others.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
And in the northern Israeli town of Misgav Am, one man was killed when artillery fired by Hezbollah struck his car.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2026
As winters become shorter and warmer because of climate change, there are also questions about the future of this ski resort town.
—Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for town
Cite this Entry
“Town.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/town. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
town
noun1
a
: a compactly settled area that is usually larger than a village but smaller than a city
b
2
: the people of a town
town
adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
