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
Phrases
on the town
: in usually carefree pursuit of entertainment or amusement (such as city nightlife) especially as a relief from routine

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 Tempe isn’t a basketball town like Tucson or Lawrence or Lexington. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024 In the spring of 1846, U.S. soldiers and the Texas Rangers set fire to El Fronton, a port town on the Texas gulf along the border. Sarah Quiñones Wolfson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2024 Up to half of the buildings in Selma – a town of about 700 people near Winchester – also appear damaged, the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency said. Dalia Faheid, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 Snow reports were still being collected but the highest accumulation so far was 53 inches in Nederland, a mountain town near Boulder, the weather service said. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2024 In a quiet but revealing scene, the foursome roll into a town that seems untouched by war. Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 Serge Raoul was born on Oct. 9, 1937, in Altkirch, a town in France’s eastern region of Alsace. Penelope Green, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 In the attack, a Pan Am transatlantic flight from Frankfurt to Detroit was destroyed by a bomb 38 minutes after takeoff while flying over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024 Ten-year-old Rocco Tano feels trapped in the impoverished rural town of Ortona and lost in the chaos of his family life. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 5 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.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English tūn enclosure, village, town; akin to Old High German zūn enclosure, Old Irish dún fortress

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Time Traveler
The first known use of town was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near town

Cite this Entry

“Town.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/town. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

town

noun
1
a
: a compactly settled area that is usually larger than a village but smaller than a city
2
: the people of a town
town adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on town

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