town hall

American  

noun

1. a hall or building belonging to a town, used for the transaction of the town's business and often also as a place of public assembly.

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town hall British  

noun

1. the chief building in which municipal business is transacted, often with a hall for public meetings

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Etymology

Origin of town hall

First recorded in 1475–85

Example Sentences

The new boss irked some within GM’s ranks when, in a recent town hall, he defended the company’s use of a controversial performance-ranking system to grade employees.

From The Wall Street Journal

The government said some were concerned about their capacity to run the polls alongside a planned overhaul of town halls.

From BBC

The town hall format where a news subject takes questions from audience members has long been a staple of cable news channels.

From Los Angeles Times

That editorial approach has unsettled some advertisers, according to industry reporting, who expressed concern that the town hall blurred the line between journalism and advocacy.

From Salon

She has also been holding town halls, which have so far received healthy attendance — the first one had about 150 attendees, both in-person and online.

From Salon

Related Words

• city center
• courthouse
• town house