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

Opponents say Senate Bill 2217 will be detrimental to rural Illinoisans by dissolving townships that have population sizes less than 5,000. —Catrina Barker | The Center Square Contributor, The Washington Examiner, 4 Apr. 2025

Others allow you the levers of power over a state, or a city, or even a humble township. —Luke Winkie, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025

Maxar Technologies In the south, the townships of Nyaungshwe, Kalaw and Pinlaung are among the hardest-hit by the earthquake, according to the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). —Brad Lendon and Alex Stambaugh, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025

The reform led to a reduction in overtime spending of roughly $1 million annually, township officials said. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 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)