county

1 of 2

noun (1)

coun·​ty ˈkau̇n-tē 

plural counties

1

: the domain of a count

2

a

: one of the territorial divisions of England and Wales and formerly also of Scotland and Northern Ireland constituting the chief units for administrative, judicial, and political purposes

b(1)

: the people of a county

(2)

British : the gentry of a county

3

: the largest territorial division for local government within a state of the U.S.

4

: the largest local administrative unit in various countries

county adjective

county

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural counties

archaic

: count entry 3

Examples of county in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The council has a symbiotic relationship with county tourism, Strosnider said, as improving the quality of life in Carroll will attract more residents, which will result in more funds for the arts council. —Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 30 Nov. 2024

In addition, Yorkshire county sculptor Steve Winterburn recommends getting close with a subject’s family and friends to help find characteristics. —Ken Maguire, Chicago Tribune, 30 Nov. 2024

Therefore, ore from the Montgomery-Polk counties region was added to the Batesville ore to reduce the net phosphate content. —arkansasonline.com, 30 Nov. 2024

By Friday afternoon, the Canyon Crest fire had spread to about 250 acres since it was first reported south of the Riverside and San Bernardino county line, according to the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection. —Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English counte, from Anglo-French cunté, counté, from Medieval Latin comitatus, from Late Latin, office of a count, from comit-, comes count — more at count

Noun (2)

modification of Middle French comte

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1539, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing county

• administrative county
• county agent
• county borough
• county court
• county fair
• county palatine
• county seat
• county town
• inter-county
• sub-county

Kids Definition

county

noun

coun·​ty

ˈkau̇nt-ē

plural counties

1

: the area owned by a count

2

: a division of a state or of a country for local government

Etymology

Noun

Middle English counte "division of the country for the purposes of government," from early French counté "region under control of a count," derived from Latin comes count — related to count entry 3