town meeting

American  

noun

1. a general meeting of the inhabitants of a town.

2. (especially in New England) a legislative assembly of the qualified voters of a town.

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town meeting British  

noun

1. an assembly of the inhabitants of a town

2. (esp in New England) an assembly of the qualified voters of a town. Such a meeting may exercise all the powers of local government

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Etymology

Origin of town meeting

First recorded in 1630–40

Example Sentences

In advance of the big vote, the town has purchased 1,800 clickers, hand-held electronic voting tools citizens use in Massachusetts town meetings, where residents gather at a central spot and vote on site.

From The Wall Street Journal

Complaints about crowd management dominated a recent town meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal

The warden called a “town meeting” for inmates.

From The Wall Street Journal

He said town councillors were in early discussions regarding some kind of memorial for those who died, and that it would be further discussed in the annual town meeting later.

From BBC

He ended chauffeur-driven cars for top staff members, sold the presidential yacht, went to the White House mess hall for lunch with the staff and conducted town meetings around the country.

From Los Angeles Times