Dorchester

American

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

noun

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

Dorchester British

/ ˈdɔːtʃɪstə /

noun

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)

"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

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 the last three weeks, pupils at Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester, Dorset, have been putting their phones in lockable pouches when they arrive at school.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026

She then spent a year peeling vegetables in a French restaurant before moving to London and refining her craft in several more restaurant kitchens, including one at the Dorchester hotel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025

An FA Trophy game between Basingstoke and Dorchester was abandoned after a footballer suffered a serious injury to his neck.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2025

She calls him Brooklyn, he calls her Beantown — although Wahlberg, born in Dorchester, is the most Bostonian of all these cops; it doesn’t take an expert to place that accent.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2025

She decided that as soon as she could, she would go back to Dorchester County and lead her family North, too.

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023