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cantonment

American  
[kan-ton-muhnt, -tohn-, kan-toon-muhnt] / kænˈtɒn mənt, -ˈtoʊn-, kænˈtun mənt /

noun

  1. a camp, usually of large size, where men are trained for military service.

  2. military quarters.

  3. the winter quarters of an army.


cantonment British  
/ kənˈtuːnmənt /

noun

  1. a large training camp

  2. living accommodation, esp the winter quarters of a campaigning army

  3. history a permanent military camp in British India

"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 cantonment

1750–60; < French cantonnement, equivalent to cantonne ( r ) to quarter troops ( see canton) + -ment -ment

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.

For decades, the Indian elite have sought escape in Raj-era private clubs and gymkhanas, scattered around the swankiest neighbourhoods in the country's big cities, hillside resorts and cantonment towns.

From BBC • Jul. 19, 2025

Every year, Ambala, a British colonial-era army cantonment, has typically drawn hundreds of youth into the military with the prospect of lifetime employment.

From Reuters • Sep. 7, 2022

Through their research, the cousins determined Armstrong’s original burial site in 1941 was in the British cantonment area of St. Luke’s Anglican Church Cemetery in Toungoo, Burma.

From Washington Times • May 29, 2017

According to a BBC round up of reports: The Peshawar explosions took place near Shama Square, a major crossroads at the northern end of Peshawar’s cantonment area, near the U.S. consulate.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2010

Fuller and his men decided that their horses would be the better for an hour or two of rest at the cantonment, and so the column moved on without them.

From A Trooper Galahad by King, Charles

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