township

American  

[toun-ship] / ˈtaʊn ʃɪp /

noun

1. 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.

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

3. English History.

   1. 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.

   2. the manor, parish, etc., itself.

   3. its inhabitants.

4. (in Australia)

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

   2. the business center of a town or suburb.

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

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township British  

/ ˈtaʊnʃɪp /

noun

1. a small town

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

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

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

5. English history

   1. any of the local districts of a large parish, each division containing a village or small town

   2. the particular manor or parish itself as a territorial division

   3. the inhabitants of a township collectively

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Etymology

Origin of township

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

Example Sentences

According to Mlangeni's brother, Nicholas, the scramble in the township began when someone digging a fence-post hole noticed the soil's unusual hue and tested it in water.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

He also got a haircut at a barbers in a township in the capital, Lusaka - to the delight of thousands of people who flocked there as news spread on social media.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2026

Situated on the edge of the iconic Soweto township and chosen as a symbol of post-apartheid "spatial integration", the venue hosts large-scale events such as the ruling African National Congress annual congress.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

The firm also mounted a public relations blitz and offered a range of incentives, including giving the township funds to preserve more farmland.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Winnie is a resilient person, and within a relatively short time, she had won over the people of the township, including some sympathetic whites in the vicinity.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• area
• colony
• country
• district
• enclave
• field
• land
• nation
• neighborhood
• province
• sector
• state
• street
• terrain
• zone