district
Americannoun
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a division of territory, as of a country, state, or county, marked off for administrative, electoral, or other purposes.
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a region or locality.
the theater district; the Lake District.
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British. a subdivision of a county or a town.
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the District, the District of Columbia; Washington, D.C.
verb (used with object)
noun
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an area of land marked off for administrative or other purposes
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( as modifier )
district nurse
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a locality separated by geographical attributes; region
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any subdivision of any territory, region, etc
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(in England from 1974 and in Wales 1974–96) any of the subdivisions of the nonmetropolitan counties that elects a council responsible for local planning, housing, rates, etc See also metropolitan district
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(in Scotland until 1975) a landward division of a county
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(in Scotland 1975–96) any of the subdivisions of the regions that elected a council responsible for environmental health services, housing, etc
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any of the 26 areas into which Northern Ireland has been divided since 1973. Elected district councils are responsible for environmental health services, etc
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have districtedperfect
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has districtedperfect 3rd person singular
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am districtingprogressive 1st person singular
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is districtingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been districtingperfect progressive
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are districtingprogressive
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districtssingular 3rd person
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districtingparticiple
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has been districtingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had districtedperfect
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had been districtingperfect progressive
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was districtingprogressive singular
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were districtingprogressive plural
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districtedparticiple
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districtedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of district
First recorded in 1605–15; from French, from Medieval Latin distrīctus “exercise of justice, restraining of offenders,” derivative of Latin distringere “to stretch out; detain, occupy,” equivalent to di- suffix of separation + strig- (base of stringere “to bind, tie”) + -tus suffix of verbal action; see distrain, di- 2
Explanation
Use the word district to talk about a specific part of your city or town. Your school district, for example, is an officially marked area that designates which school students can attend. When a government outlines a region of a state, city, or town, that area is called a district. Besides school districts, there are also congressional districts and electoral districts, which are set up specifically for organizing voting and governing. In the 1600s, the word district was used for a feudal lord's territory, and it came from the Latin districtus, "territory of jurisdiction," with its root of distringere, "draw apart."
Vocabulary lists containing district
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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.
The Orange County district attorney’s office had originally charged Jennings in connection to the shooting but dismissed the case to allow for the federal case to proceed, according to the Justice Department.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
In September 2025, after a law clerk reported misconduct to the chief district court judge, Ross initially lied about it.
From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026
He announced he wouldn’t be seeking reelection, opening up an opportunity for a Republican takeover of the district.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026
Silvia Gil, who grew up in the neighborhood, says it used to be a thriving commercial district with stores selling everything from fresh vegetables to children’s clothes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
“We all knew there was no chance of reaching six million links. And even if we could, the school district would never approve that much money just for paper!”
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
