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
Related Words
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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Africa - High 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.
Already known for outdoor recreation like mountain biking and hiking, the village could also become a model for clean energy innovation.
From Science Daily • May 6, 2026
AB InBev’s nonalcoholic Corona Cero was the Olympic Games’ first beer sponsor at this year’s Winter Games, where the athletes’ village included a Corona lounge offering yoga and relaxation sessions along with the brew.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
The six books follow a group of pensioners in a Kent village who join together to solve murders.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
On Feb. 15, a day before his killing, he turned off his smartphone, and left it at home when he went to a municipal meeting in a nearby village the next day.
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026
It was the worst night of the year—when human children came from all over the village to surround Clare’s wood.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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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.