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arrondissement

American  
[uh-ron-dis-muhnt, ar-uhn-dees-, a-rawn-dees-mahn] / əˈrɒn dɪs mənt, ˌær ənˈdis-, a rɔ̃ disˈmɑ̃ /

noun

  • arrondissements
    plural
  1. the largest administrative division of a French department, comprising a number of cantons.

  2. an administrative district of certain large cities in France.


arrondissement British  
/ arɔ̃dismɑ̃ /

noun

  1. the largest administrative subdivision of a department

  2. a municipal district of certain cities, esp Paris

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of arrondissement

1800–10; < French, equivalent to arrondiss- (variant stem of arrondir to round out; see a- 5, round 1) + -ment -ment


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Last week police detained 16 people after a swoop at three schools in the 7th arrondissement or district.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

Then Sinner will travel to Paris as the clear favorite to complete his career Grand Slam by claiming his first French Open—without Alcaraz anywhere near the same arrondissement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

He went to secondary school in the wealthy bourgeois 16th arrondissement of Paris, where he said he felt an uncomfortable outsider, and later attended the elite ENA administration school.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

Go to the Marché des Enfants Rouges in the 3rd arrondissement in Paris for fresh oysters and a cheese plate, or to the Marché des Carmes in Toulouse for some lamb chops and fried scallops.

From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026

Von Rumpel enters an apartment house in the 5th arrondissement.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Young and trendy Parisian restaurants such as Paloma or Ober Mamma are usually tastier and cheaper, especially in the up-and-coming 18th, 19th, and 20th arrondissements.

From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026

In any case, ownership of SUVs - and of cars in general - is relatively low inside the capital's 20 arrondissements or districts.

From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2023

And it is extremely expensive: Parking on the street in the central 10 arrondissements costs 6 euros for the first hour, and 50 to 75 euros after six hours.

From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2023

Many streets in Paris's third, fourth, fifth arrondissements were hit by the power cuts around 10:15 p.m.

From Reuters ● Dec. 9, 2022

His only companion is Moushumi’s Plan de Paris, a small red guide to the arrondissements, with a folded map attached to the back cover.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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