borough

[bur-oh, buhr-oh]

noun

1. (in certain states of the U.S.) an incorporated municipality smaller than a city.

2. one of the five administrative divisions of New York City.

3. British.

   1. an urban community incorporated by royal charter, similar to an incorporated city or municipality in the U.S.

   2. a town, area, or constituency represented by a Member of Parliament.

   3. (formerly) a fortified town organized as and having some of the powers of an independent country.

4. (in Alaska) an administrative division similar to a county in other states.

borough

/ ˈbʌrə /

noun

1. a town, esp (in Britain) one that forms the constituency of an MP or that was originally incorporated by royal charter See also burgh

2. any of the 32 constituent divisions that together with the City of London make up Greater London

3. any of the five constituent divisions of New York City

4. (in the US) a self-governing incorporated municipality

5. (in medieval England) a fortified town or village or a fort

6. (in New Zealand) a small municipality with a governing body

Word History and Origins

Origin of borough¹

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of borough¹

Old English burg ; related to beorgan to shelter, Old Norse borg wall, Gothic baurgs city, Old High German burg fortified castle

Example Sentences

But if anti-Muslim bigotry dominated the five boroughs, Mr. Mamdani, a proud Muslim, wouldn’t have come from obscurity to national prominence.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"We are a working people's borough in a working people's city," Ocasio-Cortez said to huge cheers.

Read more on Barron's

A giant yellow banner on a busy expressway linking New York's Brooklyn and Queens boroughs proclaims: "Vote Zohran -- for a city we can afford."

Read more on Barron's

City Hall will be able to intervene in planning applications that contain more than 50 homes and were previously rejected by borough councils.

Read more on BBC

An Ofsted report published in February 2024 identified serious failures which left vulnerable children in the borough either being harmed or put at risk of harm.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• district 
• precinct