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town

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town¹

  • /ˈtaʊ̯n/ US, UK
  • [ˈtʰaʊ̯n] US, UK
  • /ˈtæʊ̯n/
  • [ˈtʰæʊ̯n]
  • /ˈtaːn/
  • [ˈtʰaːn]
  • /tuːn/ Northumbria

Rhymes with -aʊn

Where it comes from

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.

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”).

noun towns · tahn · tawn · toon · toune · towne

  1. countable, uncountable A settlement; an area with residential districts, shops and amenities, and its own local government; especially one larger than a village and smaller than a city, historically enclosed by a fence or walls, with total populations ranging from several hundred to more than a hundred thousand (as of the early 21st century) This town is really dangerous because these youngsters have Beretta handguns.
  2. countable, uncountable Any more urbanized centre than the place of reference. I'll be in Yonkers, then I'm driving into town to see the Knicks at the Garden tonight.
  3. UK, countable, historical, uncountable A rural settlement in which a market was held at least once a week.
  4. countable, uncountable The residents (as opposed to gown: the students, faculty, etc.) of a community which is the site of a university.
  5. colloquial, countable, uncountable, used without an article Used to refer to a town or similar entity under discussion. Call me when you get to town.
  6. countable, uncountable A major city, especially one where the speaker is located. There's always a business theme, even underlying happy hours. You're never off the clock in this town.
  7. countable, uncountable An interconnected maze of tunnels in which prairie dogs live.
  8. countable, informal, uncountable A townhouse. Detached houses always sell faster than towns or semis.
  9. countable, uncountable A municipal organization, such as a corporation, defined by the laws of the entity of which it is a part.
  10. countable, obsolete, uncountable An enclosure which surrounded the mere homestead or dwelling of the lord of the manor; by extension, the whole of the land which constituted the domain.
  11. Scotland, UK, countable, dialectal, obsolete, uncountable A farm or farmstead; also, a court or farmyard.

Town²

Where it comes from

From the noun town.

proper noun Towns

  1. countable, uncountable A surname.
  2. countable, uncountable A community and ward in Merthyr Tydfil borough county borough, Wales, in Merthyr Tydfil town centre.
  3. England, also, countable, traditional, uncountable, in phrases such as 'in Town' or 'to Town' London, especially central London.
  4. Philippines, abbreviation, colloquial, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of Alabang Town Center: a mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines.

    Similar: ATC

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: townsfolk, township, townspeople, city, conurbation, urban, urbanization, urbanism, uptown, downtown, midtown, village, borough, hometown, townhall, district

Translations

Every language

noun settlement

Españolciudad, pueblo, villa
한국어마을 ma'eul, 읍 eup, 시 si
日本語街 machi, 町 machi, 都市 toshi
中文城市 chéngshì, 城 chéng, 鎮 /镇 zhèn, 城鎮 /城镇 chéngzhèn
हिन्दीशहर śahar, नगर nagar
Kiswahilimji
Portuguêsvila
Françaisville, commune, bourg, villette, villotte
DeutschStadt, Ort, Städtchen, Gemeinde
Italianocittà
Ελληνικάπόλη póli
Românăoraș
Русскийго́род górod, городо́к gorodók, посёлок posjólok, месте́чко mestéčko, град grad
Tiếng Việttỉnh, thành phố, thị trấn
العربيةمَدِينَة madīna, قَرْيَة qarya, بَلْدَة balda
עבריתעִיר ir, קִרְיָה kiryá, יִשּׁוּב yishúv

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MLA

"town." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/town. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

town. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/town

Chicago

"town." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/town.

BibTeX
@misc{town_2026,
  title = {town},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/town},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}