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; distrain, di- ²

Example Sentences

Barger, whose district includes the Eaton fire zone in and around Altadena, said this week that she defended the local permitting process to Zeldin.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Established in 2005, it owns the Empire State Building and London's Shard, the Canary Wharf district and high-end department store Harrods.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"Just as cherry blossoms bloom when spring approaches, the Miyako Odori is a spring tradition in Kyoto," Kyoko Sugiura, head of the Yasaka Nyokoba Gakuen, a school for geishas in Kyoto's Gion district, told AFP.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

A D.C. district court blocked the provision requiring documentary proof of citizenship in October.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

They marched into the gymnasium to meet their competition—Quiz Bowl teams from the five other middle schools in the district.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

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