township

American  

[toun-ship] / ˈtaʊn ʃɪp /

noun

• townships
  plural

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.

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township British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• townships
  plural

Etymology

Origin of township

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

Explanation

A township is a community that's smaller or more widely scattered than a city. It would be a huge change to move from a little township in North Dakota to Los Angeles. The exact definition of township varies widely depending where you are in the world. Even in the U.S., the meaning differs from state to state. Townships are generally geographic areas that are smaller than counties and controlled by local governments. In some cases, several towns make up a township. In others, a township is simply a rural town that's spread out and sparsely populated. The Old English root meant "parish of a hundred."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

township townships

Another resident in the township said the statue had been "totally fine, with good proportions".

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

It was the first DA win in a 100-percent black township ward in the country, the party said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

The updated policy, she said, would “protect the township and allow for responsible development of clean energy in the area.”

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026

At noon on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 1806, five large canoes and a pirogue approached the township of St. Louis in the Louisiana Territory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

There was a sheet iron stove in the center of a wooden frame filled with sand, and a faded map on the wall and the dingy plat of a township.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

With guidance from Henry’s organization, Monroe, Millville and Andover townships passed AI data centers bans or restrictions.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026

Despite a history of human activity that dates back more than 6,000 years, the area wasn’t officially established as the municipality of Val di Fiemme until the three townships merged in January 2020.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026

Around one-fifth of the country's 330 townships, including the cities of Yangon and Mandalay, voted in the last stage.

From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026

The winners of six townships have yet to be announced in the first phase of voting.

From Barron's ● Jan. 4, 2026

My inclination was to spend the night in the Cape Flats, the bustling black and Coloured townships of Cape Town, in order to show my solidarity with the people.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

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