municipal
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a town or city or its local government.
municipal elections.
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Archaic. pertaining to the internal affairs of a state or nation rather than to international affairs.
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of municipal
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin mūnicipālis, from mūnicip-, stem of mūniceps “citizen of a free town” (from mūni(a) “duties” + -ceps, combining form of capere “to take”; cf. prince) + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
A municipality refers to a village, town, or city that's usually governed by a mayor and council. From this noun, we get the adjective municipal, which you can use to describe something that relates to a town or its government. Your town's city council may have offices in the municipal building downtown. If you want to fight city hall, that would be the place to go. Municipal also more generally describes anything related to the town or city itself. If you live within the city limits, for example, your house may be hooked into the municipal water supply, but if you live outside the city limits you may have to have your own well.
Vocabulary lists containing municipal
Nothing But the Truth
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"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
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"Democracy in America, Vol. 1" by Alexis de Tocqueville, Introduction–Chapter 5
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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.
That means finding a way to offset revenues from oil extraction, which currently finance many municipal services, and are projected to drop from more than $50 million annually to around $21 million by 2035.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
Treasury bonds and notes, high-quality AAA-rated corporate bonds and municipal bonds for tax-efficient income.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
Rita Dobrinova, a manager at the Kherson municipal transport company, believes the threat from Russian drones is getting worse, particularly since they started using optic fibre cables, which are immune to jamming.
From BBC • May 31, 2026
The Zurich cantonal police force said it was cooperating with Winterthur municipal police, the Swiss Federal Railways' transport police, and hospital, ambulance and rescue services in the operation.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
They set the standard for excellence in municipal swimming pools.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
