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borough

American  
[bur-oh, buhr-oh] / ˈbɜr oʊ, ˈbʌr oʊ /

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 British  
/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of borough

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.

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.

In October, the New York Police Department said more than 100,000 people had gathered across all five of the city's boroughs.

From BBC

Essex is currently made up of 12 district and borough councils - and three county and unitary authorities - as part of a two-tier system of local government.

From BBC

He says 'Key Worker Living Rent' will vary by borough and will "balance affordability with deliverability".

From BBC

Elections are also taking place in all London boroughs.

From BBC

Mayor Steven Fulop had never lived in the five boroughs before he took the job of leading the Partnership for New York City.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.