village
1 Americannoun
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a small community or group of houses in a rural area, larger than a hamlet and usually smaller than a town, and sometimes (as in parts of the U.S.) incorporated as a municipality.
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the inhabitants of such a community collectively.
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a group of animal dwellings resembling a village.
a gopher village.
adjective
noun
noun
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a small group of houses in a country area, larger than a hamlet
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the inhabitants of such a community collectively
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an incorporated municipality smaller than a town in various parts of the US and Canada
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a group of habitats of certain animals
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a self-contained city area having its own shops, etc
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(modifier) of, relating to, or characteristic of a village
a village green
Synonym Usage
See community.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of village
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin villāticum, neuter of villāticus villatic
Explanation
A village is a place where people live that's smaller than a city or town. The village where your grandparents live might have a population of only a few hundred people. In the US, some towns, townships, and cities have smaller villages communities within them. There are also villages that are independent of any larger areas. In either case, a village is typically larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town. The majority of Indians live in villages, while in other countries (like Russia and the UK) population has moved to big cities and suburbs, away from traditional villages. The Latin source of village is villa, or "farm."
Vocabulary lists containing village
Africa - Introductory
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Africa - Middle School
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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.
“A Night at the Village Vanguard,” another trio record, came out later the same year.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Once we’re up, I have to go to the farmers market in Atwater Village.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Iskander said she saw a black sport utility vehicle “roaring” toward the Westlake Village intersection where she and her three sons were crossing.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
I spoke to the Little Village charity, the London Chamber of Commerce and the think tank Centre for London about which policies would have the greatest impact.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
The last song at the Black Swan Green Village Hall Disco'd be over before I could spit out D-d-d-you want to d-d-d-d-d-dance.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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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.