town meeting

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.

town meeting

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of town meeting¹

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.

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Complaints about crowd management dominated a recent town meeting.

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The warden called a “town meeting” for inmates.

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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.

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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.

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