borough
Americannoun
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boroughs
plural
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(in certain states of the U.S.) an incorporated municipality smaller than a city.
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one of the five administrative divisions of New York City.
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British.
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an urban community incorporated by royal charter, similar to an incorporated city or municipality in the U.S.
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a town, area, or constituency represented by a Member of Parliament.
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(formerly) a fortified town organized as and having some of the powers of an independent country.
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(in Alaska) an administrative division similar to a county in other states.
noun
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a town, esp (in Britain) one that forms the constituency of an MP or that was originally incorporated by royal charter See also burgh
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any of the 32 constituent divisions that together with the City of London make up Greater London
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any of the five constituent divisions of New York City
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(in the US) a self-governing incorporated municipality
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(in medieval England) a fortified town or village or a fort
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(in New Zealand) a small municipality with a governing body
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of borough
before 900; Middle English burw ( e ), borwg ( h ), borogh, bor ( u ) g, bur ( u ) g, burgh town, Old English burg fortified town; cognate with Old Norse borg, Old Saxon, Dutch burg, German Burg castle, Gothic baurgs city; MIr brí, brig, Welsh, Breton bre hill, Avestan bərəz- height; akin to Armenian bardzr, Hittite parkus high. See barrow 2.
Explanation
A borough is a town that has its own government. It also can be a part of a big city that has powers of self-government. Manhattan is just one of the five boroughs that make up New York City. When a borough is part of a big city, it represents a more formal division than just a neighborhood. It’s a separate town, often one that has its own government. When you move from one borough to another, you might notice different tax rates or different parking regulations. In England the word often refers to a town that has a representative in Parliament. Pronounce the second syllable in borough with a long “o” sound, like the donkey (burro).
Vocabulary lists containing borough
The Poet X
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The Marrow Thieves
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"Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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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:
Victor Niederhoffer was born to Arthur and Elaine Niederhoffer in New York’s Brooklyn borough on Dec. 10, 1943.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The spokesperson said council services continued to operate as normal, and arrangements remained in place to ensure the council could fulfil its statutory responsibilities and continue delivering for residents, communities and partners across the borough.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
As Berenger and Rogers are drawn into an affair, Scott plays up the contrast between her wealthy Upper East Side world and his working-class life in an outer borough.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
The borough has not updated its local plan, which guides new development, since 1999, prompting intervention, external from the housing minister last month.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
I had divided Harmonee into three boroughs, or neighborhoods: the hero borough, the monster borough and the regular borough for all the regular people.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
At the same time, rents increased by 10% in both boroughs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Each time Burnham outpolled his party, gaining a majority of votes in all boroughs.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
At least 30,500 Londoners are on allotment waiting lists, with 16 boroughs closed to new applicants, according to a 2023 Freedom of Information request published by Greenpeace.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
New York City added more than 1.33 million residents between 1900 and 1910—the most people for any decade, ever, aside from when the city’s boroughs were knitted together in their current form.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
The apartment became a little city with naturally separate habitats, her own private boroughs, and mine.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
