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

It was a Monday night in Myanmar's Chang U township in the central Sagaing region, where nearly 100 people had gathered to mark Thadingyut, the festival of the full moon.

Read more on BBC

The military attacked on Monday evening as around 100 people gathered in Chaung U township in central Myanmar for a national holiday.

Read more on BBC

The couple sought refuge on the second floor of their shop in Guangfu township, trying to save as many books as possible.

Read more on BBC

She sometimes takes Sophia for walks around their neighbourhood in Alexandra, a township near Johannesburg's northern suburbs, but the traffic and people staring make her uncomfortable.

Read more on BBC

She was "far more than an actress" but also a teacher and guide who "broke barriers" and "inspired young actors in villages and townships to dream beyond their circumstances".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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