town

[ toun ]

/ taʊn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR town ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

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

Idioms

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

Related formstown·less, adjectivein·ter·town, adjective

Synonym study

1. See community.

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. 2019

Examples 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 Formstownish, 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

Word Origin and History for town

town

Old English tun "enclosure, garden, field, yard; farm, manor; homestead, dwelling house, mansion;" later "group of houses, village, farm," from Proto-Germanic *tunaz, *tunan (cf. Old Saxon, Old Norse, Old Frisian tun "fence, hedge," Middle Dutch tuun "fence," Dutch tuin "garden," Old High German zun, German Zaun "fence, hedge"), an early borrowing from Celtic *dunom (cf. Old Irish dun, Welsh din "fortress, fortified place, camp," dinas "city;" see down (n.2)).

Meaning "inhabited place larger than a village" (mid-12c.) arose after the Norman conquest, to correspond to French ville. The modern word is partially a generic term, applicable to cities of great size as well as places intermediate between a city and a village; such use is unusual, the only parallel is perhaps Latin oppidium, which occasionally was applied to Rome or Athens (each of which was more properly an urbs).

First record of town hall is from late 15c. Townie "townsman, one raised in a town" is recorded from 1827, often opposed to the university students or circus workers who were just passing through. Town ball, version of baseball, is recorded from 1852. Town car (1907) originally was a motor car with an enclosed passenger compartment and open driver's seat. On the town "living the high life" is from 1712. Go to town "do (something) energetically" is first recorded 1933. Man about town "one constantly seen at public and private functions" is attested from 1734.

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

town

noun

adjective

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of town

Synonym study

Definition for town (2 of 2)

Town

noun

Examples from the Web for town

British Dictionary definitions for town

town

noun

Word Origin for town

Word Origin and History for town

town

Idioms and Phrases with town

town