local government

American  

noun

• local governments
  plural

1. the administration of the civic affairs of a city, town, or district by its inhabitants rather than by the state or country at large.

2. the governing body of a town or district.

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local government British  

noun

1. government of the affairs of counties, towns, etc, by locally elected political bodies

2. the US equivalent of local authority

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• local governments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of local government

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

local government

Several funds backed by Chinese local government vehicles are also planning to invest, some of the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Hydee Feldstein Soto, who heads the city attorney’s office, has argued rising costs are the results of juries feeling increasingly antagonistic to local government.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Patel worked for San Francisco's Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, which became the first local government in the US to pass a law requiring employers to provide paid parental leave.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Property taxes can increase after the first year if the local government reassesses the home’s value after it changes hands, or if the property’s assessed value changes under local tax rules.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

The emissary addressed the question to Yee, the local government official at whose home he had spent the night.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park

Related Words

• municipality