town

[ toun ]

/ taʊn /

noun

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

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

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

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

any urban area, as contrasted with its surrounding countryside.

the inhabitants of a town; townspeople; citizenry.

the particular town or city in mind or referred to: living on the outskirts of town; to be out of town.

a nearby or neighboring city; the chief town or city in a district: I am staying at a friend's apartment in town.

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

British.

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

Scot. a farmstead.

adjective

of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or belonging to a town: town laws; town government; town constable.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?

Question 1 of 10

decorum

the act of or need for making up one's mind.

dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for town

go to town, Informal.

to be successful.
to do well, efficiently, or speedily: The engineers really went to town on those plans.
to lose restraint or inhibition; overindulge.

on the town,

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

paint the town. paint(def 16).

Origin of town

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, Old Irish dún fort

synonym study for town

1. See community.

OTHER WORDS FROM town

town·less, adjectivein·ter·town, adjective

Words nearby town

towie, towing path, towkay, towline, towmond, town, town and gown, town car, town clerk, town crier, town gas

Definition for town (2 of 2)

Town

[ toun ]

/ taʊn /

noun

Ith·i·el

[ith-ee-uh l] /ˈɪθ i əl/,1784–1844, U.S. architect.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for town

Their bodies were later found incinerated and buried in mass graves outside of town.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The sheriff charged them with truancy, and then he and his officers ran them out of town.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Some of the streets in this part of the town have seen large scale-destruction.
The Brothers Who Ambushed ISIS|Mohammed A. Salih|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The town, known in Arabic as Ayn al-Arab, is so significant to ISIS that the group calls it Ayn al-Islam.
The Brothers Who Ambushed ISIS|Mohammed A. Salih|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That will leave troops in a lurch when the F-35 eventually becomes the only game in town.
Newest U.S. Stealth Fighter ‘10 Years Behind’ Older Jets|Dave Majumdar|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hart County was named for her, and the town of Hartford, which in 1810 was the county seat of Pulaski.
Revolutionary Reader|Sophie Lee Foster
That was the result, he thought, of his absurd whim of loitering about Berry town.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science|Various
But he passes on at last, with a troop of boys following to the town limits.
Ways of Wood Folk|William J. Long
Like everything else in the Congo, this town has been arranged and built for practical use.
A Journal of a Tour in the Congo Free State|Marcus Dorman
The man lived, and his descendants are among the principal inhabitants of the town of Stratton to this day.
Footprints of Former Men in Far Cornwall|Robert S. Hawker

British Dictionary definitions for town

town

/ (taʊn) /

noun

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
(as modifier)town life Related adjective: urban

a city, borough, or other urban area

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

the nearest town or commercial district

London or the chief city of an area

the inhabitants of a town

the permanent residents of a university town as opposed to the university staff and studentsCompare gown (def. 3)

go to town

to make a supreme or unrestricted effort; go all out
Australian and NZ informal to lose one's temper

on the town seeking out entertainments and amusements

Derived forms of town

townish, adjectivetownless, adjective

Word Origin for town

Old English tūn village; related to Old Saxon, Old Norse tūn, Old High German zūn fence, Old Irish dūn

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

Idioms and Phrases with town

town

In addition to the idiom beginning with town

town and gown

also see:

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

MEANINGS

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WORD OF THE DAY

town

noun

adjective

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

Idioms for town

Origin of town

synonym study for town

OTHER WORDS FROM town

Words nearby town

Definition for town (2 of 2)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for town

British Dictionary definitions for town

noun

Derived forms of town

Word Origin for town

Idioms and Phrases with town

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

town

noun

adjective

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

Idioms for town

Origin of town

synonym study for town

OTHER WORDS FROM town

Words nearby town

Definition for town (2 of 2)

noun

Words related to town

Example sentences from the Web for town

British Dictionary definitions for town

noun

Derived forms of town

Word Origin for town

Idioms and Phrases with town