new town

American

noun

(sometimes initial capital letters) a comprehensively planned, self-sufficient urban community that provides housing, educational, recreational, and commercial facilities and often serves to absorb residents from a nearby overcrowded metropolis.

new town British

noun

(in Britain) a town that has been planned as a complete unit and built with government sponsorship, esp to accommodate overspill population

"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

Etymology

Origin of new town

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

See Examples For:

new town

Nearby, a new town of 6.2 square kilometres is under construction, "three times the size of Monaco", according to the site's owners, Lamda Development.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

It’s a new career in a new town.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025

Last month Thamesmead was one of the areas shortlisted for the construction of a new town under the housing secretary's plan to "get Britain building again".

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2025

He’s just moved to a new town for a job and has been working doubles at the factory for weeks on end.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2025

Too old to switch schools, move to a new town, submit herself to yet another foster parent’s whims.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

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