local

American  

[loh-kuhl] / ˈloʊ kəl /

adjective

1. pertaining to or characterized by place or position in space; spatial.

2. pertaining to, characteristic of, or restricted to a particular place or particular places.

   a local custom.

3. pertaining to a city, town, or small district rather than an entire state or country.

   local transportation.

4. stopping at most or all stations.

   a local train.

5. pertaining to or affecting a particular part or particular parts, as of a physical system or organism.

   a local disease.

6. Medicine/Medical. (of anesthesia or an anesthetic) affecting only a particular part or area of the body, without concomitant loss of consciousness, as distinguished from general anesthesia.

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noun

• locals
  plural

1. a local train, bus, etc.

2. a newspaper item of local interest.

3. a local branch of a union, fraternity, etc.

4. a local anesthetic.

5. Often locals.

   1. a local person or resident.

      primarily of interest to locals.

   2. a local athletic team.

      the locals versus the state champions.

6. stamp.

7. British Informal. a neighborhood pub.

verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to travel by or take a local train or the like.

local British  

/ ˈləʊkəl /

adjective

1. characteristic of or associated with a particular locality or area

2. of, concerned with, or relating to a particular place or point in space

3. med of, affecting, or confined to a limited area or part Compare general systemic

4. (of a train, bus, etc) stopping at all stations or stops

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noun

1. a train, bus, etc, that stops at all stations or stops

2. an inhabitant of a specified locality

3. informal a pub close to one's home or place of work

4. med short for local anaesthetic

5. an item of local interest in a newspaper

6. a local or regional branch of an association

7. a telephone extension

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• localness
  noun
• interlocal
  adjective
• nonlocal
  adjective
• superlocal
  adjective
• unlocal
  adjective
• interlocally
  adverb
• nonlocally
  adverb
• superlocally
  adverb
• unlocally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• locals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of local

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Late Latin word locālis. See locus, -al ¹

Explanation

The adjective local describes something related a specific place. The potholes on a certain street in Pringle, Pennsylvania, might merit a story in the local newspaper. Locate, location, locale — they all look and sound like local thanks to the Latin root locus, which means "place." Something that's local is limited to a specific place, like a particular neighborhood or city. Local also can describe places that aren't, well, places — they're more like areas. For example, a dentist might administer a local anesthetic to numb your mouth when filling a cavity. That means the anesthetic acts only on a specific area of the body.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

local locals

The workers have staged a total of 60 hours of strikes this year, causing estimated losses of around $1.6 billion, according to calculations by local news agency Newsis.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Six people have been injured, according to local authorities, with windy and unpredictable weather contributing to the fire's spread.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Infantino was in the Dominican Republic over the weekend for meetings with local and regional football officials, despite Montagliani reportedly asking him to stay away from a youth tournament there.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Rescuers were later seen using excavators to comb through a mountain of scattered rubbish at the site as local residents gathered nearby.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

A medical doctor and a local minister signed her sworn written statement.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Walsh, the hospitality owner, said he was surprised a few days ago when he saw that someone—using a chalkboard where locals trade messages—had wished SpaceX employees luck running a marathon on the island.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

The data indicate that the Midwest might still be a more affordable region, but not necessarily for locals.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

Como's Roman-walled centre is already covered by a limited-traffic zone, and bicycles have become a go-to method of transport for locals.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Some ticket hopefuls scoff at the price tags, which are far higher than the widely promoted $28 tickets that half a million people snagged in the first locals presale.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

No one noticed the ghost, but the locals looked askance at Nico.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• provincial
• regional