district

American  

[dis-trikt] / ˈdɪs trɪkt /

noun

1. a division of territory, as of a country, state, or county, marked off for administrative, electoral, or other purposes.

2. a region or locality.

   the theater district; the Lake District.

3. British. a subdivision of a county or a town.

4. the District, the District of Columbia; Washington, D.C.

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verb (used with object)

1. to divide into districts.

district British  

/ ˈdɪstrɪkt /

noun

1. 1. an area of land marked off for administrative or other purposes

   2. ( as modifier )

      district nurse

2. a locality separated by geographical attributes; region

3. any subdivision of any territory, region, etc

4. (in England from 1974 and in Wales 1974–96) any of the subdivisions of the nonmetropolitan counties that elects a council responsible for local planning, housing, rates, etc See also metropolitan district

5. (in Scotland until 1975) a landward division of a county

6. (in Scotland 1975–96) any of the subdivisions of the regions that elected a council responsible for environmental health services, housing, etc

7. any of the 26 areas into which Northern Ireland has been divided since 1973. Elected district councils are responsible for environmental health services, etc

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verb

1. (tr) to divide into districts

Other Word Forms

• interdistrict
  adjective
• outdistrict
  noun
• predistrict
  noun

Etymology

Origin of district

First recorded in 1605–15; from French, from Medieval Latin distrīctus “exercise of justice, restraining of offenders,” derivative of Latin distringere “to stretch out; detain, occupy,” equivalent to di- suffix of separation + strig- (base of stringere “to bind, tie”) + -tus suffix of verbal action; see distrain, di- ²

Explanation

Use the word district to talk about a specific part of your city or town. Your school district, for example, is an officially marked area that designates which school students can attend. When a government outlines a region of a state, city, or town, that area is called a district. Besides school districts, there are also congressional districts and electoral districts, which are set up specifically for organizing voting and governing. In the 1600s, the word district was used for a feudal lord's territory, and it came from the Latin districtus, "territory of jurisdiction," with its root of distringere, "draw apart."

Example Sentences

It also alienated voters in the district who had long supported him.

From Slate • May 20, 2026

The district does not comment on pending litigation, the spokesperson said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

A 50-year-old man in an isolation ward in western Uganda was showing Ebola-like symptoms on Tuesday, including bleeding from the mouth, the local district health department reported.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

The BBC is visiting every voting district as part of a roadshow before the election in June.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

As the berserker ripped his sword out of the splintered wood, Samir and I scooted past him, back into the heart of the spicers’ district.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• commune
• community
• department
• locality
• neighborhood
• parish
• precinct
• region
• section
• sector
• territory