town

¹ American  

[toun] / taʊn /

noun

1. a thickly populated area, usually smaller than a city and larger than a village, having fixed boundaries and certain local powers of government.

2. a densely populated area of considerable size, as a city or borough.

3. (especially in New England) a municipal corporation with less elaborate organization and powers than a city.

4. (in most U.S. states except those of New England) a township.

5. any urban area, as contrasted with its surrounding countryside.

6. the inhabitants of a town; townspeople; citizenry.

7. the particular town or city in mind or referred to.

   living on the outskirts of town; to be out of town.

8. a nearby or neighboring city; the chief town or city in a district.

   I am staying at a friend's apartment in town.

9. the main business or shopping area in a town or city; downtown.

10. British.

    1. a village or hamlet in which a periodic market or fair is held.

    2. any village or hamlet.

11. Scot. a farmstead.

---

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or belonging to a town.

   town laws; town government; town constable.

idioms

1. go to town,

   1. to be successful.

   2. to do well, efficiently, or speedily.

      The engineers really went to town on those plans.

   3. to lose restraint or inhibition; overindulge.

2. paint the town. paint.

3. on the town,

   1. Informal. in quest of entertainment in a city's nightclubs, bars, etc.; out to have a good time.

      a bunch of college kids out on the town.

   2. supported by the public charity of the state or community; on relief.

Town ² American  

[toun] / taʊn /

noun

1. Ithiel 1784–1844, U.S. architect.

---

town British  

/ taʊn /

noun

1. 1. a densely populated urban area, typically smaller than a city and larger than a village, having some local powers of government and a fixed boundary

   2. ( as modifier )

      town life

2. a city, borough, or other urban area

3. (in the US) a territorial unit of local government that is smaller than a county; township

4. the nearest town or commercial district

5. London or the chief city of an area

6. the inhabitants of a town

7. the permanent residents of a university town as opposed to the university staff and students Compare gown

8. 1. to make a supreme or unrestricted effort; go all out

   2. informal to lose one's temper

9. seeking out entertainments and amusements

---

town More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing town

• all over the place (town)
• ghost town
• go to town
• man about town
• on the town
• one-horse town
• only game in town
• out of town
• paint the town red
• talk of the town

---

Related Words

See community.

Other Word Forms

• intertown adjective
• townish adjective
• townless adjective

Etymology

Origin of town

First recorded before 900; Middle English toun, tun, Old English tūn “walled or fenced place, courtyard, farmstead, village”; cognate with Old Norse tūn “homefield,” German Zaun “fence”; akin to Old Irish dún “citadel, fortress” ( down ³ ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

And yet it is claimed that a remarkable 80% of the country's lanterns are still made – by hand – in one small town in Hebei Province.

From BBC

For some owners, the reckoning comes gradually—an animal that no longer fits through a dog door, a fence that needs reinforcing, a zoning notice from a town that classifies pigs as livestock.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s very Cleveland,” he said, explaining that it is a town “that’s resilient—oftentimes overlooked—and maybe there’s a little bit of a chip on our shoulders.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Under its pricing model, residents of larger, more affluent towns subsidise isolated areas where costs would otherwise be prohibitive.

From Barron's

I knew them all from having lived in the tiny town of Deer Hill my whole life, but we hadn’t had much interaction besides what was required in our classes together.

From Literature

Related Words

• city
• metropolis
• municipality
• township