canton

[ kan-tn, -ton, kan-ton for 1-7; kan-ton, -tohn, or, especially British, -toon for 8 ]
See synonyms for canton on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a small territorial district, especially one of the states of the Swiss confederation.

  2. (in a department of France) a division of an arrondissement.

  1. Heraldry. a square area in the dexter chief, or right-hand corner, of an escutcheon, often distinctively treated: a diminutive of the dexter chief quarter.

  2. Architecture. a pilaster or similar feature projecting from the corner of a building.

  3. Obsolete. a division, part, or portion of anything.

verb (used with object)
  1. to divide into parts or portions.

  2. to divide into cantons or territorial districts.

  1. to allot quarters to (soldiers, troops, etc.).

Origin of canton

1
1525–35; <Middle French <Old Provençal, derivative of can side, edge (see cant2)

Other words from canton

  • can·ton·al, adjective
  • can·ton·al·ism, noun
  • un·can·toned, adjective

Words Nearby canton

Other definitions for Canton (2 of 2)

Canton
[ kan-ton, kan-ton for 1; kan-tn for 2-5 ]

noun
  1. Older Spelling. a seaport in and the capital of Guangdong province, in southeastern China, on the Zhu Jiang. : Also called (Older Spelling) Kwang·chow [kwahng-choh, kwang-; Chinese gwahng-joh], /ˈkwɑŋˈtʃoʊ, ˈkwæŋ-; Chinese ˈgwɑŋˈdʒoʊ/, (Pinyin) Guang·zhou [Chinese gwahng-joh], /Chinese ˈgwɑŋˈdʒoʊ/, (Wade-Giles) Kuang·chou [gwahng-joh] /ˈgwɑŋˈdʒoʊ/ .

  2. a city in northeastern Ohio: location of the football Hall of Fame.

  1. a city in eastern Massachusetts.

  2. a city in western central Illinois.

  3. a town in central Mississippi.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use canton in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for canton (1 of 2)

canton

noun(ˈkæntɒn, kænˈtɒn)
  1. any of the 23 political divisions of Switzerland

  2. a subdivision of a French arrondissement

  1. (ˈkæntən) heraldry a small square or oblong charge on a shield, usually in the top left corner

verb
  1. (kænˈtɒn) (tr) to divide into cantons

  2. (kənˈtuːn) (esp formerly) to allocate accommodation to (military personnel)

Origin of canton

1
C16: from Old French: corner, division, from Italian cantone, from canto corner, from Latin canthus iron rim; see cant ²

Derived forms of canton

  • cantonal, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Canton (2 of 2)

Canton

noun
  1. (kænˈtɒn) a port in SE China, capital of Guangdong province, on the Zhu Jiang (Pearl River): the first Chinese port open to European trade. Pop: 3 881 000 (2005 est): Chinese names: Guangzhou, Kwangchow

  2. (ˈkæntən) a city in the US, in NE Ohio. Pop: 80 806 (2000)

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