Dorchester

American  

[dawr-ches-ter, -chuh-ster] / ˈdɔrˌtʃɛs tər, -tʃə stər /

noun

1. a town in S Dorsetshire, in S England, on the Frome River: named Casterbridge in Thomas Hardy's novels.

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Dorchester British  

/ ˈdɔːtʃɪstə /

noun

1. Latin name: Durnovaria.  a town in S England, administrative centre of Dorset: associated with Thomas Hardy, esp as the Casterbridge of his novels. Pop: 16 171 (2001)

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Example Sentences

Crockway Farms Ltd, an intensive pig farm in Dorchester, failed to obtain an environmental permit before it installed two new slurry stores.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

The major motorways that strike west from the capital bypass the county entirely; the trains from London Waterloo to the local station at Dorchester take a leisurely three hours.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Peter Sellers, 38, was staying at London’s Dorchester hotel when he came across a photograph of Britt Ekland, 21, in the paper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

Dorchester Town FC player and coach Wes Fogden was injured in the first half of the game, which was away at Basingstoke, on Saturday afternoon.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2025

She pondered over the shocking contrast between the life of a field hand in Dorchester County, Maryland, and the life she had known and enjoyed in Philadelphia and in Cape May, New Jersey.

From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry