borough

American  

[bur-oh, buhr-oh] / ˈbɜr oʊ, ˈbʌr oʊ /

noun

• boroughs
  plural

1. (in certain states of the U.S.) an incorporated municipality smaller than a city.

2. one of the five administrative divisions of New York City.

3. British.

   1. an urban community incorporated by royal charter, similar to an incorporated city or municipality in the U.S.

   2. a town, area, or constituency represented by a Member of Parliament.

   3. (formerly) a fortified town organized as and having some of the powers of an independent country.

4. (in Alaska) an administrative division similar to a county in other states.

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borough British  

/ ˈbʌrə /

noun

1. a town, esp (in Britain) one that forms the constituency of an MP or that was originally incorporated by royal charter See also burgh

2. any of the 32 constituent divisions that together with the City of London make up Greater London

3. any of the five constituent divisions of New York City

4. (in the US) a self-governing incorporated municipality

5. (in medieval England) a fortified town or village or a fort

6. (in New Zealand) a small municipality with a governing body

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• boroughs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of borough

before 900; Middle English burw ( e ), borwg ( h ), borogh, bor ( u ) g, bur ( u ) g, burgh town, Old English burg fortified town; cognate with Old Norse borg, Old Saxon, Dutch burg, German Burg castle, Gothic baurgs city; MIr brí, brig, Welsh, Breton bre hill, Avestan bərəz- height; akin to Armenian bardzr, Hittite parkus high. See barrow ².

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Explanation

A borough is a town that has its own government. It also can be a part of a big city that has powers of self-government. Manhattan is just one of the five boroughs that make up New York City. When a borough is part of a big city, it represents a more formal division than just a neighborhood. It’s a separate town, often one that has its own government. When you move from one borough to another, you might notice different tax rates or different parking regulations. In England the word often refers to a town that has a representative in Parliament. Pronounce the second syllable in borough with a long “o” sound, like the donkey (burro).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

borough boroughs

The borough now has the biggest council house waiting list in the country.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

For now, though, in a rainy borough reachable only by plane or boat, the double-Dan debacle is all anyone can think about.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

The 25-year-old man was arrested in the London borough of Westminster on Thursday.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Stillman is a Camden councillor, representing West Hampstead in the north of the borough.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Some said, ‘Why should we? It’s the rest of the world that’s moving. Our borough is fixed. Let them leave Manhattan.’

From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer

The son of a slumlord coming from the outer boroughs, he was starting with two strikes against him when he attempted to make a jump into Manhattan’s high society.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

New York City three years ago enacted one of the country’s strictest crackdowns on short-term rentals, which reduced the number of listings across the five boroughs by more than 90%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Rikers, which sits on the East River between the Bronx and Queens boroughs, primarily holds people who are awaiting trial in New York, as was the case for disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Counties in this category include the five boroughs of New York, as well as Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

We have connections to most of them, not just from Queens and the other boroughs but from Nassau and Westchester and Bergen counties.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

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Related Words

• district
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