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.

---

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

---

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

Dozens of local water agencies have signed these so-called voluntary agreements and have begun investing in projects to restore wetlands and floodplains along rivers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

He threw himself enthusiastically into the flourishing local theatre.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Within two days of putting up his decorations in late September, Carrara, 40, received an anonymous note from a local parent complaining that the ghoulish display was terrorizing their children as they walked to school.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Police said they arrested three suspects but the election commission called it an isolated local case.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

“Great. That could be very helpful. Can you give me any other identifying details beyond that? What town this place is in? Names of any local businesses?”

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

In videos posted by his own social media account, Lubinets can be seen meeting tearful locals.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The Coastal Commission also required the county to stop allowing motorized vehicle access on the sand, infuriating locals who have long ridden onto the beach to go fishing and enjoy the rural seclusion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

The center of Pest has long dominated, and it is where many locals and most visitors go to eat, shop and have fun.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Check out what separated the true locals from the pack.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

Though many of the locals still call it Fouad Street, it is now known variously as Tariq Abd el-Nasser, Tariq al- Hurriyyah, and Ishak Nadim Street.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• provincial
• regional

---