local

American  

[loh-kuhl] / ˈloʊ kəl /

adjective

1. pertaining to or characterized by place or position in space; spatial.

2. pertaining to, characteristic of, or restricted to a particular place or particular places.

   a local custom.

3. pertaining to a city, town, or small district rather than an entire state or country.

   local transportation.

4. stopping at most or all stations.

   a local train.

5. pertaining to or affecting a particular part or particular parts, as of a physical system or organism.

   a local disease.

6. Medicine/Medical. (of anesthesia or an anesthetic) affecting only a particular part or area of the body, without concomitant loss of consciousness, as distinguished from general anesthesia.

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noun

1. a local train, bus, etc.

2. a newspaper item of local interest.

3. a local branch of a union, fraternity, etc.

4. a local anesthetic.

5. Often locals.

   1. a local person or resident.

      primarily of interest to locals.

   2. a local athletic team.

      the locals versus the state champions.

6. stamp.

7. British Informal. a neighborhood pub.

verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to travel by or take a local train or the like.

local British  

/ ˈləʊkəl /

adjective

1. characteristic of or associated with a particular locality or area

2. of, concerned with, or relating to a particular place or point in space

3. med of, affecting, or confined to a limited area or part Compare general systemic

4. (of a train, bus, etc) stopping at all stations or stops

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noun

1. a train, bus, etc, that stops at all stations or stops

2. an inhabitant of a specified locality

3. informal a pub close to one's home or place of work

4. med short for local anaesthetic

5. an item of local interest in a newspaper

6. a local or regional branch of an association

7. a telephone extension

Other Word Forms

• interlocal adjective
• interlocally adverb
• localness noun
• nonlocal adjective
• nonlocally adverb
• superlocal adjective
• superlocally adverb
• unlocal adjective
• unlocally adverb

Etymology

Origin of local

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Late Latin word locālis. See locus, -al ¹

Explanation

The adjective local describes something related a specific place. The potholes on a certain street in Pringle, Pennsylvania, might merit a story in the local newspaper. Locate, location, locale — they all look and sound like local thanks to the Latin root locus, which means "place." Something that's local is limited to a specific place, like a particular neighborhood or city. Local also can describe places that aren't, well, places — they're more like areas. For example, a dentist might administer a local anesthetic to numb your mouth when filling a cavity. That means the anesthetic acts only on a specific area of the body.

Example Sentences

Colonial and early American governments required participation in local militias, which were designed primarily for community defense rather than sustained military campaigns.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026

Some of the states whose taxpayers saw the largest refund increases this year also happen to be places with higher state income taxes and local property-tax bills.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

But in some local government and urban planning circles, the windowless establishments are seen as hogging land and creating dead zones where there ought be street life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

It would keep Cawdor open beyond its original closure date of 2028, but the scheme has been opposed by local campaigners.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Tūtū was cool when Dad planned to be in Arizona for a short time, and she was happy when he started dating a local girl.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Related Words

• provincial
• regional