township

[ toun-ship ]

/ ˈtaʊn ʃɪp /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR township ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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

Words related to township

sector, city, square, neighborhood, zone, locality, section, county, field, state, territory, town, metropolis, district, community, village, province, land, area, country

Words nearby township

townsend plan, townsend's solitaire, townsfolk, townshend, townshend acts, township, township line, townsman, townspeople, townsville, townswoman

Origin of township

before 900; Middle English tounship community, Old English tūnscipe village community. See town, -ship

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for township

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
At a township rally near Johannesburg, she boasted: “With our boxes of matches and our necklaces we shall liberate this country.”
Mandela: The Miracle Maker|Sam Seibert|December 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Lake Success, a township on Long Island, was home to the United Nations long before it moved to its iconic eastside headquarters.
Mr. President, Don’t Forget The Nakba|Yousef Munayyer|March 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Biography Mo Yan was born to a family of farmers in the Gaomi township in Shandong province in northeastern China.
60 Second Guide to Mo Yan: 2012 Winner of Nobel Prize for Literature|The Daily Beast|October 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Don't we go to the township for a few little necessaries an' have a drink on the whole thing?
The Boss of Taroomba|E. W. Hornung
The additions to the population of the township had created fresh wants, hitherto unknown among these dwellers in poverty.
The Country Doctor|Honore de Balzac
The township trustees, 1016 in number, are ex-officio overseers of the poor.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 4|Various
The present city, chartered in 1894, was originally a part of the township.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3|Various
The introduction of the township was probably due to the fact that a number of New Yorkers participated in the convention.
The Fairfax County Courthouse|Ross D. Netherton

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