township

noun

town·​ship ˈtau̇n-ˌship 

1

a

: town sense 5

b

: a unit of local government in some northeastern and north central states usually having a chief administrative officer or board

c

: an unorganized subdivision of the county in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont

d

: an electoral and administrative district of the county in the southern U.S.

2

: a division of territory in surveys of U.S. public land containing 36 sections or 36 square miles

3

: an area in the Republic of South Africa that was segregated under apartheid for occupation by persons of non-European descent

4

: an ancient unit of administration in England identical in area with or a division of a parish

Examples of township in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Alleged scam center workers and victims rest during a crackdown operation by the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) on illicit activity, at the border checkpoint with Thailand in Myanmar's eastern Myawaddy township, on Feb. 23, 2025. —Afp, Fortune Asia, 6 Mar. 2025

Television images showed security officials trying to direct thousands of visitors around barricades in the temporary township set up in Prayagraj, close to the banks where three holy rivers meet. —Reuters, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2025

Three Aurora Township races featuring Democrats were on the ballot, so only Democratic voters who live in the township could vote in these primaries. —Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2025

Eco World, which develops townships, business parks and high-rise apartments in Malaysia, also has presence in Melbourne, London, Singapore and Sydney. —Jonathan Burgos, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Kids Definition

township

noun

town·​ship ˈtau̇n-ˌship 

1

: a unit of local government in some northeastern and north central states

2

: a division of territory in surveys of U.S. public land containing 36 square miles (about 93 square kilometers)