Soweto

American

[suh-wee-toh, -way-] / səˈwi toʊ, -ˈweɪ- /

noun

a group of townships in northeastern South Africa, southwest of and administered by Johannesburg: constructed in the 1950s and early 1960s to provide housing and services for Black Africans. 26 sq. mi. (67 sq. km).

Soweto British

/ səˈwɛtəʊ, -ˈweɪtəʊ /

noun

a contiguous group of Black African townships southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa: the largest purely Black African urban settlement in southern Africa: scene of riots (1976) following protests against the use of Afrikaans in schools for Black African children. Area: 62 sq km (24 sq miles). Pop: 858 649 (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

Soweto Cultural

Collective name for a group of townships inhabited by black Africans, located southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Discover More

Soweto was the site of severe racial violence before the dismantling of apartheid.

Etymology

Origin of Soweto

C20: from so ( uth ) we ( st ) to ( wnship )

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:

Soweto

The Soweto Uprising was a protest by school children and students against black schools being ordered to teach in English and Afrikaans, languages mainly used by the country's white population.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Fugard once told Mann she took more trips to Soweto in a single month than he did in his entire lifetime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026

Substitute Yanela Mbuthuma scored twice to give Orlando Pirates a 3-1 win at Golden Arrows on Wednesday, keeping the Soweto outfit three points behind South African Premiership leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2025

Just six minutes had been played on an unseasonable chilly night in Soweto when Tshepang Moremi scored the lone goal, firing into the net after Kenyan goalkeeper Brian Bwire parried a cross.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025

At least when she was home in Soweto, I could picture her cooking in the kitchen or reading in the lounge, I could imagine her waking up in the house I knew so well.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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