town Meaning & Definition
What Does Town Mean?
Town is a noun that means a compactly settled area usually larger than a village but smaller than a city. It is also used to mean a compactly settled area as distinguished from surrounding rural territory.
Town at a Glance
| Part of speech | noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈtau̇n/ |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | township, townsfolk and townspeople |
| Plural | towns |
Town Definition (Noun)
- a compactly settled area usually larger than a village but smaller than a city
- a compactly settled area as distinguished from surrounding rural territory
- a large densely populated urban area : city
- an English village having a periodic fair or market
- a particular town or city under consideration
the circus came to town
- the city or urban life as contrasted with the country
- the inhabitants of a city or town
practically the whole town turned out for the parade
- the townspeople of a college or university town as distinct from the academic community
relations between town and gown
- a New England territorial and political unit usually containing under a single town government both rural areas and urban areas not having their own charter of incorporation
- a New England community governed by a town meeting
- a cluster or aggregation of houses recognized as a distinct place with a place-name : hamlet
- a group of prairie dog burrows
Synonyms of Town
Antonyms of Town
No antonyms or near antonyms are listed by the available sources for this entry.
Town in a Sentence
This town is really dangerous because these youngsters have Beretta handguns.
I'll be in Yonkers, then I'm driving into town to see the Knicks at the Garden tonight.
Call me when you get to town.
They put up "lost dog" posters all over town.
My apartment is five minutes from the center of town.
It's quiet in this part of town.
the circus came to town
practically the whole town turned out for the parade
relations between town and gown
after driving for miles with nothing but corn and wheat fields to look at, we were relieved to roll into a small town and have a bite to eat at the local diner
Word Forms & Grammar
town adjective
town
towns
on the town
town (countable and uncountable, plural towns)
Words That Rhyme With Town
Origin of Town
Origin 1: Middle English, from Old English tūn enclosure, village, town; akin to Old High German zūn enclosure, Old Irish dún fortress
Origin 2: Inherited from Middle English toun, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic *tūn, from Proto-Germanic *tūną, borrowed from Proto-Celtic *dūnom (“stronghold, rampart”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *duh₂-nós (“lasting, durable”), from *dewh₂- (“to last”) + *-nós.
Origin 3: Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tuun (“garden”), West Frisian tún (“enclosure, garden”), Dutch tuin (“garden”), German Low German Tuun (“fence”), German Zaun (“fence”), Danish tun, Swedish tun and Norwegian Nynorsk tun (“yard”); also archaic Welsh din (“hill”), Irish dún (“fortress”). Doublet of dun. See also -ton and tine (“to enclose”).
First Known Use
before 12th century
How to Pronounce Town
The standard pronunciation of town is /ˈtau̇n/, spoken in 1 syllable.
Quick Answers About Town
What part of speech is town?
Town is a noun.
What is another word for town?
Close synonyms of town are township, townsfolk and townspeople. See the full list of town synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of town?
The plural of town is towns.