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

Presidents use it to vaunt France’s accomplishments and national pride, mayors host village festivals and families gather for holiday meals. — ABC News, 14 July 2026

All the more so for the fact that there isn’t a settlement or a hamlet, let alone a village called Shippea Hill at all. — Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 July 2026

The Oswego Village Board Tuesday evening will consider a revolving loan and a grant for a new breakfast and lunch restaurant planned in the village’s downtown. — Linda Girardi, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026

Around 15 homes were evacuated in the nearby village of Vaudoue and firefighters were defending several other towns in the area, the local Seine-et-Marne fire service said. — CBS News, 13 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