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
Synonyms
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
That work took off at the turn of the millennium with the establishment in 2000 of the historical park in Richmond, a WWII boom town for more than 55 industries that produced more than 740 ships alone.
—
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Then, just a week before the synod’s start date, in 2016—with all the villas booked and ready at a Cretan resort town—the Russians pulled out.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
The story about a mother-daughter toxic relationship, set against the backdrop of addiction, turns on 17-year-old Anna and her mother Eva who move back to Eva’s small provincial Danish town from Shanghai.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Mary Walrath-Holdridge An Ohio town took celebrating the total solar eclipse to a level above barbecues and tailgates on Tuesday, instead hosting one huge eclipse party that cumulated in over 100 marriages and vow renewals.
—USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Starting Thursday morning, restrictions or rationing measures will be put in place for Bogotá residents and dozens of towns and municipalities surrounding the capital, according to a handout on the city’s official website.
—Heather Law, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
On Monday night, residents attending the public hearing in Bonner Springs City Hall offered some mixed thoughts about what the project might mean for the small town.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024
More trending stories: → There’s no ‘better place’ to see April 8 total solar eclipse than in this tiny Texas town.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2024
Along with the glamorous guests, murder and betrayal swirl at a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Then, just a week before the synod’s start date, in 2016—with all the villas booked and ready at a Cretan resort town—the Russians pulled out.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
The story about a mother-daughter toxic relationship, set against the backdrop of addiction, turns on 17-year-old Anna and her mother Eva who move back to Eva’s small provincial Danish town from Shanghai.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Mary Walrath-Holdridge An Ohio town took celebrating the total solar eclipse to a level above barbecues and tailgates on Tuesday, instead hosting one huge eclipse party that cumulated in over 100 marriages and vow renewals.
—USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Starting Thursday morning, restrictions or rationing measures will be put in place for Bogotá residents and dozens of towns and municipalities surrounding the capital, according to a handout on the city’s official website.
—Heather Law, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
On Monday night, residents attending the public hearing in Bonner Springs City Hall offered some mixed thoughts about what the project might mean for the small town.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024
More trending stories: → There’s no ‘better place’ to see April 8 total solar eclipse than in this tiny Texas town.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2024
Along with the glamorous guests, murder and betrayal swirl at a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'town.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near town
Cite this Entry
“Town.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/town. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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
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