canton

¹ American  

[kan-tn, -ton, kan-ton, kan-ton, -tohn, -toon] / ˈkæn tn, -tɒn, kænˈtɒn, kænˈtɒn, -ˈtoʊn, -ˈtun /

noun

1. a small territorial district, especially one of the states of the Swiss confederation.

2. (in a department of France) a division of an arrondissement.

3. Heraldry. a square area in the dexter chief, or right-hand corner, of an escutcheon, often distinctively treated: a diminutive of the dexter chief quarter.

4. Architecture. a pilaster or similar feature projecting from the corner of a building.

5. Obsolete. a division, part, or portion of anything.

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verb (used with object)

1. to divide into parts or portions.

2. to divide into cantons or territorial districts.

3. to allot quarters to (soldiers, troops, etc.).

Canton ² American  

[kan-ton, kan-ton, kan-tn] / kænˈtɒn, ˈkæn tɒn, ˈkæn tn /

noun

1. (Older Spelling) Kwangchow.  (Wade-Giles) Kuangchou.  (Pinyin) Guangzhou.  Older Spelling. a seaport in and the capital of Guangdong province, in southeastern China, on the Zhu Jiang.

2. a city in northeastern Ohio: location of the football Hall of Fame.

3. a city in eastern Massachusetts.

4. a city in western central Illinois.

5. a town in central Mississippi.

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canton ¹ British  

noun

1. any of the 23 political divisions of Switzerland

2. a subdivision of a French arrondissement

3. heraldry a small square or oblong charge on a shield, usually in the top left corner

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verb

1. (tr) to divide into cantons

2. (esp formerly) to allocate accommodation to (military personnel)

Canton ² British  

noun

1. Chinese names: Guangzhou.   Kwangchow.  a port in SE China, capital of Guangdong province, on the Zhu Jiang (Pearl River): the first Chinese port open to European trade. Pop: 3 881 000 (2005 est)

2. a city in the US, in NE Ohio. Pop: 80 806 (2000)

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Other Word Forms

• cantonal adjective
• cantonalism noun
• uncantoned adjective

Etymology

Origin of canton

1525–35; < Middle French < Old Provençal, derivative of can side, edge ( cant ² )

Example Sentences

Their research focused on Gossau Upper Secondary School in the northeastern canton of St. Gallen, which introduced flexible school hours three years ago.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026

Recent snows have also led to evacuations of several communities in Switzerland and northern Italy, as well as power outages and a train derailment at Goppenstein in the south-western Swiss canton of Valais.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

This weekend, the town in southwest Switzerland's Wallis canton hosted the final round of the 2025-2026 Alpine Ski World Cup before the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, across the mountains in Italy.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

The Swiss canton of Valais has now banned pyrotechnic devices in all indoor public venues.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026

They only rid the canton of its few half-wild dogs.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel