town

¹

[ toun ]

noun

1. a thickly populated area, usually smaller than a city and larger than a village, having fixed boundaries and certain local powers of government.
2. a densely populated area of considerable size, as a city or borough.
3. (especially in New England) a municipal corporation with less elaborate organization and powers than a city.
4. (in most U.S. states except those of New England) a township.
5. any urban area, as contrasted with its surrounding countryside.
6. the inhabitants of a town; townspeople; citizenry.
7. the particular town or city in mind or referred to:

   living on the outskirts of town; to be out of town.

8. a nearby or neighboring city; the chief town or city in a district:

   I am staying at a friend's apartment in town.

9. the main business or shopping area in a town or city; downtown.
10. British.
    1. a village or hamlet in which a periodic market or fair is held.
    2. any village or hamlet.
11. Scot. a farmstead.

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or belonging to a town:

   town laws; town government; town constable.

Town

²

[ toun ]

noun

1. Ith·i·el [ith, -ee-, uh, l], 1784–1844, U.S. architect.

town

/ taʊn /

noun

1. 1. a densely populated urban area, typically smaller than a city and larger than a village, having some local powers of government and a fixed boundary
   2. ( as modifier ) urban

      town life

2. a city, borough, or other urban area
3. (in the US) a territorial unit of local government that is smaller than a county; township
4. the nearest town or commercial district
5. London or the chief city of an area
6. the inhabitants of a town
7. the permanent residents of a university town as opposed to the university staff and students Compare gown
8. go to town
   1. to make a supreme or unrestricted effort; go all out
   2. to lose one's temper
9. on the town
   seeking out entertainments and amusements

Derived Forms

• ˈtownish, adjective
• ˈtownless, adjective

Other Words From

• townless adjective
• inter·town adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of town¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English toun, tun, Old English tūn “walled or fenced place, courtyard, farmstead, village”; cognate with Old Norse tūn “homefield,” German Zaun “fence”; akin to Old Irish dún “citadel, fortress” ( down ³( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of town¹

Old English tūn village; related to Old Saxon, Old Norse tūn, Old High German zūn fence, Old Irish dūn

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. go to town, Informal.
   1. to be successful.
   2. to do well, efficiently, or speedily:

      The engineers really went to town on those plans.

   3. to lose restraint or inhibition; overindulge.
2. on the town,
   1. Informal. in quest of entertainment in a city's nightclubs, bars, etc.; out to have a good time:

      a bunch of college kids out on the town.

   2. supported by the public charity of the state or community; on relief.
3. paint the town. paint ( def 16 ).

More idioms and phrases containing town

In addition to the idiom beginning with town , also see all over the place (town) ; ghost town ; go to town ; man about town ; one-horse town ; only game in town ; on the town ; out of town ; paint the town red ; talk of the town .

Synonym Study

See community.

Example Sentences

Helping revive small towns isn’t minor league baseball’s only upside.

From Ozy

Every week, anywhere from one to five individuals will show up from each town, with each outcome equally likely.

From FiveThirtyEight

On Tuesday, Hancock’s health department issued its latest localized coronavirus restrictions, this time affecting the town of Bolton, near Manchester in the North of England.

From Fortune

When your legs need a rest, there’s year-round climbing within an hour of town.

From Outside Online

Connell says most of his friends do work but that could be because he lives in a ski resort town with more jobs for teenagers than elsewhere.

From Ozy

Indeed, although he works here in the old town, he lives in the new part of the city where he walks his dog in the morning.

From The Daily Beast

Their bodies were later found incinerated and buried in mass graves outside of town.

From The Daily Beast

The sheriff charged them with truancy, and then he and his officers ran them out of town.

From The Daily Beast

Some of the streets in this part of the town have seen large scale-destruction.

From The Daily Beast

The town, known in Arabic as Ayn al-Arab, is so significant to ISIS that the group calls it Ayn al-Islam.

From The Daily Beast

The Duchess had also a tent for their sick men; so that we had a small town of our own here, and every body employed.

From Project Gutenberg

The garrison of the town and fortress was nearly three thousand strong.

From Project Gutenberg

"I don't know whether I am going to like this or not--this coming to live in town," thought the little pig.

From Project Gutenberg

Of course it is only the hardiest Ferns which can be expected to grow well in the town garden.

From Project Gutenberg

The sun was shining when they arrived at Salon, the gayest, the most coquettish, the most laughing little town in Provence.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• city
• metropolis
• municipality
• township