municipality

noun

mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌni-sə-ˈpa-lə-tē 

plural municipalities

1

: a primarily urban political unit having corporate (see corporate sense 1a) status and usually powers of self-government

Elections were held in the municipality.

2

: the governing body of a municipality

The municipality approved the budget for the year.

Synonyms

• asphalt jungle
• burg
• city
• cosmopolis
• megacity
• megalopolis
• metropolis
• town

Examples of municipality in a Sentence

laws that have been enacted by many states and municipalities

a municipality with an excellent police department

Recent Examples on the Web

While federal grants exist, the demand far outpaces the need and in some states — like South Carolina and Wisconsin — federal dollars aren’t distributed below the state level, so costs are borne by county and municipalities’ general funds. —Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 3 Nov. 2024

Some municipalities across the state are also continuing early voting into this weekend. —Cailey Gleeson, Journal Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2024

Catch up quick: Every municipality in Miami-Dade except three – Miami Beach, Bal Harbour and Surfside – already collects the 1% homeless and domestic violence tax. —Martin Vassolo, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024

While speaking with Pagina 12, Fabian Garcia, the undersecretary of civil defense for the municipality, said that rescue teams were using sounds to find those trapped. —Matthew Impelli and Jon Jackson follow, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

municipality

noun

mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌnis-ə-ˈpal-ət-ē 

plural municipalities

: a self-governing city or town

Legal Definition

municipality

noun

mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌni-sə-ˈpa-lə-tē 

plural municipalities

: a primarily urban municipal corporation

also : the governing body of a municipality