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• village
  village

  noun

  a small community or group of houses in a rural area, larger than a hamlet and usually smaller than a town, and sometimes (as in parts of the U.S.) incorporated as a municipality.
• Village
  Village

  noun

  The, a city in central Oklahoma.

village

¹ American  

[vil-ij] / ˈvɪl ɪdʒ /

noun

• villages
  plural

1. a small community or group of houses in a rural area, larger than a hamlet and usually smaller than a town, and sometimes (as in parts of the U.S.) incorporated as a municipality.

2. the inhabitants of such a community collectively.

3. a group of animal dwellings resembling a village.

   a gopher village.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a village.

   village life.

Village ² American  

[vil-ij] / ˈvɪl ɪdʒ /

noun

1. The, a city in central Oklahoma.

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village British  

/ ˈvɪlɪdʒ /

noun

1. a small group of houses in a country area, larger than a hamlet

2. the inhabitants of such a community collectively

3. an incorporated municipality smaller than a town in various parts of the US and Canada

4. a group of habitats of certain animals

5. a self-contained city area having its own shops, etc

6. (modifier) of, relating to, or characteristic of a village

   a village green

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Synonym Usage

See community.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intervillage
  adjective
• village-like
  adjective
• villageless
  adjective
• villagey
  adjective
• villagy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• villages
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of village

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin villāticum, neuter of villāticus villatic

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Explanation

A village is a place where people live that's smaller than a city or town. The village where your grandparents live might have a population of only a few hundred people. In the US, some towns, townships, and cities have smaller villages communities within them. There are also villages that are independent of any larger areas. In either case, a village is typically larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town. The majority of Indians live in villages, while in other countries (like Russia and the UK) population has moved to big cities and suburbs, away from traditional villages. The Latin source of village is villa, or "farm."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

village Village villages

It consisted of two concrete pipes, each about 16 feet long and 3 feet in diameter, that descended in an elongated V shape to provide drainage under a road near the village of Petropavlivka.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

"We call it the pit of hell," muses the 48-year-old activist and local leader of Ikizkoy village, which has 70 homes.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

The land would be restored by replanting suitable species and "village centres, mosques, schools and graves" would be spared, he said, indicating land owners would be offered "alternative" plots further away.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

From the moment LIV teed off in an English village outside London for the first time in 2022, it upended the world of professional golf.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Beyond the sticky-sweet mounds of garbage, plumes of sharp-smelling smoke rose into the sky: bonfires from the human village, signaling the start of All Hallows’ Eve.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

On the other, he’s a former reality-TV host with an unnaturally tanned face who dances to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.”

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026

Actress Julianne Moore recently opened the doors of her gorgeous West Village duplex penthouse for an apartment tour with Architectural Digest.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Village pharmacist, 78-year-old Antonio Garcia Colina, said he had rushed to the scene of the crash in his car shortly after it happened to try to help the injured and witnessed several people dying.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

Binational Race USA’s managing director, Valerie Rivera, said the towing incidents took place at San Ysidro Village Shopping Center, which organizers didn’t designate or promote as an official parking area.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

It all started when Margaret Draper and Izzy Diamondstein decided to get married, and the citizens of Century Village called a meeting in the clubhouse to organize the wedding.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

Here tourists flock to ancient hills and villages throughout the summer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

On March 31, Esra was arrested while protesting against a visit by officials in the context of an emergency expropriation decision affecting six villages.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

It allows tribes to comment on how a proposed housing or infrastructure project might harm graves, ceremonial grounds or ancient villages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

These places, located along the Hudson River north of New York City, were once rural villages.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Action shots flash across the screen: cowboys on horseback, pistols gleaming at their hips; quiet villages of tepees; violent war scenes; a kiss between a cowboy and a Native girl.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

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• center
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