township

[ toun-ship ]

/ ˈtaʊn ʃɪp /

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noun

a unit of local government, usually a subdivision of a county, found in most midwestern and northeastern states of the U.S. and in most Canadian provinces.

(in U.S. surveys of public land) a region or district approximately 6 miles square (93.2 sq. km), containing 36 sections.

English History.

one of the local divisions or districts of a large parish, each containing a village or small town, usually with a church of its own.
the manor, parish, etc., itself.
its inhabitants.

(in Australia)

a small town or settlement serving as the business center of a rural area.
the business center of a town or suburb.

(formerly, in South Africa) a segregated residential settlement for Black people, located outside a city or town.

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Origin of township

First recorded before 900; Middle English tounship “community,” Old English tūnscipe “village community”; see origin at town, -ship

Words nearby township

Townsend plan, Townsend's solitaire, townsfolk, Townshend, Townshend Acts, township, township line, townsman, townspeople, Townsville, townswoman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use township in a sentence

So, they were still going through a lot of political struggle, and I volunteered in a township in a children’s hospital there.
Actress, Mother, Activist Alyssa Milano on Life as a Triple Threat|Esabelle Lee|February 11, 2021|Ozy
Never mind that Soweto, a township near Johannesburg, is nearly 900 miles from Robben — not Robbens — Island, which is off the coast of Cape Town.
The biggest Pinocchios of 2020|Glenn Kessler|December 18, 2020|Washington Post
It was signed by a developer who stood to gain from zoning changes Karcher opposed on the township council.
How Criminal Cops Often Avoid Jail|by Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press|September 23, 2020|ProPublica
Pension records indicate two of them are still employed in other roles with their township.
How Criminal Cops Often Avoid Jail|by Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press|September 23, 2020|ProPublica

Building an insurer “for the townships, villages and informal settlements” became a passion project.
An Insurance Solution for the World’s Poorest|Daniel Malloy|September 21, 2020|Ozy
You stand on an unsteady pontoon bridge spanning the Tigris River in a township called Adh Dhouloueya.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And now this quiet township had also become the home of an ugly mosque controversy.
When Bigotry Comes to Your Hometown|Dean Obeidallah|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In February 2011, during a winter storm, a tree fell into a creek in Franklin Township, New Jersey, and caused flooding.
Government Has Made America Inept|Philip K. Howard|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The people of Fairview Township, Pa. can finally sleep at night knowing the Ku Klux Klan is watching over them.
Fringe Factor: Boy Scouts Kick Out Gay Leader’s Entire Troop|Caitlin Dickson|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mormons first came to England in 1837, just seven years after Joseph Smith founded the Church in Fayette Township, New York.
Britain Puts Mormonism on Trial|Naomi Zeveloff|February 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brockton was a part of Bridgewater until 1821, when it was incorporated as the township of North Bridgewater.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
But Mort knows just how many voters there are in every township and just how they line up election morning.
A Hoosier Chronicle|Meredith Nicholson
About the same time Warwick was divided and a new township set out under the name of Coventry.
A short history of Rhode Island|George Washington Greene
Abercrombie—a township in the parish of Abercrombie and county of Somerset.
The History of Tasmania , Volume II (of 2)|John West
Summerleas—a township in the parish of Kingborough and county of Buckingham.
The History of Tasmania , Volume II (of 2)|John West

British Dictionary definitions for township

township

/ (ˈtaʊnʃɪp) /

noun

a small town

(in the Scottish Highlands and islands) a small crofting community

(in the US and Canada) a territorial area, esp a subdivision of a county: often organized as a unit of local government

(formerly, in South Africa) a planned urban settlement of Black Africans or Coloured peopleCompare location (def. 4)

English history

any of the local districts of a large parish, each division containing a village or small town
the particular manor or parish itself as a territorial division
the inhabitants of a township collectively

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

township

Origin of township

Words nearby township

Words related to township

How to use township in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for township