township

[ toun-ship ]

noun

1. a unit of local government, usually a subdivision of a county, found in most midwestern and northeastern states of the U.S. and in most Canadian provinces.
2. (in U.S. surveys of public land) a region or district approximately 6 miles square (93.2 sq. km), containing 36 sections.
3. English History.
   1. one of the local divisions or districts of a large parish, each containing a village or small town, usually with a church of its own.
   2. the manor, parish, etc., itself.
   3. its inhabitants.
4. (in Australia)
   1. a small town or settlement serving as the business center of a rural area.
   2. the business center of a town or suburb.
5. (formerly, in South Africa) a segregated residential settlement for Black people, located outside a city or town.

township

/ ˈtaʊnʃɪp /

noun

1. a small town
2. (in the Scottish Highlands and islands) a small crofting community
3. (in the US and Canada) a territorial area, esp a subdivision of a county: often organized as a unit of local government
4. (formerly, in South Africa) a planned urban settlement of Black Africans or Coloured people Compare location
5. English history
   1. any of the local districts of a large parish, each division containing a village or small town
   2. the particular manor or parish itself as a territorial division
   3. the inhabitants of a township collectively

Word History and Origins

Origin of township¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English tounship “community,” Old English tūnscipe “village community”; town, -ship

Example Sentences

At dawn, the three young men hitched a ride from a truck driver and made it to Aung Ban, a township in the southern Shan state.

From BBC

Economically, the family would have been slightly better off than the average in the township, he says.

From BBC

He was in the township to show the prince around.

From BBC

The Prince of Wales has dusted off what he called his “rusty” rugby skills with some legends of the sport on a visit to a township outside Cape Town.

From BBC

“He’s not the status quo,” said Dave Duncan, a 58-year-old salesman from Macomb Township, Mich., who supports Trump.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• area
• colony
• country
• district
• enclave
• field
• land
• nation
• neighborhood
• province
• sector
• state
• street
• terrain
• zone