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

Through geolocating and verifying seven images, Human Rights Watch said Israel fired white phosphorus using artillery at residential areas in the southern Lebanese village of Yohmor. —Arkansas Online, 10 Mar. 2026

Twentynine Palms is the primary training base for Marines slated for deployment for the Middle East, with its harsh desert climate and mock villages meant to simulate combat conditions overseas. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026

Six inhabitants of a paradisiacal coastal village initiate a pilgrimage on push bikes to save it from rising sea levels. —John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026

This amounts to about $588,000 in sales tax revenue to the village annually. —Jennifer Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 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