district

[ dis-trikt ]

/ ˈdɪs trɪkt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR district ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

a region or locality: the theater district; the Lake District.

British. a subdivision of a county or a town.

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

verb (used with object)

to divide into districts.

Nearby words

Origin of district

1605–15; (< F) < Medieval Latin distrīctus exercise of justice, (area of) jurisdiction, derivative of Latin distringere to stretch out (see distrain), equivalent to di- di-² + strig- (base of stringere to bind, tie) + -tus suffix of verbal action

Related formsin·ter·dis·trict, adjectiveout·dis·trict, nounpre·dis·trict, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for district

So, in an unusual order (PDF) issued on New Years Day, District Judge Robert Hinkle clarified the issue.
The Back Alley, Low Blow-Ridden Fight to Stop Gay Marriage in Florida Is Finally Over|Jay Michaelson|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the weeks following the Sept. 9, car bombing at the Iranian base, Iran raided a village in the Pakistani district of Chagai.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In January 2014, a lifelong District of Columbia parks employee, Medric Mills, collapsed while walking with his grown daughter.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We do not know where he is,” District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman told reporters.
Hunt for Iraq Vet After Killing Spree|M.L. Nestel|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Of course this is also very true with district attorneys and police officers.
Cops, CIA Share a Culture of Lawlessness|Cliff Schecter|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The arch-bishops presided over a district including several bishoprics within a province; and lastly came the bishops of churches.
A New Witness for God (Volume 1 of 3)|B. H. Roberts
Let us suppose one man in a district (it is an easy supposition) to contribute as much as a hundred of his neighbors.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. III. (of 12)|Edmund Burke
His bank is to make the loans for the association's drainage, and he has bought a big tract of land in this district.
The Hallowell Partnership|Katharine Holland Brown
The recollection of a fall he once had, when his skate caught on a stone, still lingers in the district.
A Critic in Pall Mall|Oscar Wilde
Mr. Goddard, the District Inspector of Police, was a young man and stood on the lowest rung of his professional ladder.
The Search Party|G. A. Birmingham

British Dictionary definitions for district

district

/ (ˈdɪstrɪkt) /

noun

an area of land marked off for administrative or other purposes
(as modifier)district nurse

a locality separated by geographical attributes; region

any subdivision of any territory, region, etc

(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, etcSee also metropolitan district

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

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

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

verb

(tr) to divide into districts

Word Origin for district

C17: from Medieval Latin districtus area of jurisdiction, from Latin distringere to stretch out; see distrain

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

Word Origin and History for district

district

1610s, "territory under the jurisdiction of a lord or officer," from French district (16c.), from Medieval Latin districtus "restraining of offenders, jurisdiction," then under the feudal system "area of jurisdiction," noun use of past participle of Latin distringere "hinder, detain" (see distress). Used vaguely of "any tract of land" from 1712. District attorney attested by 1789, American English.