town
nounUS, UK /ˈtaʊ̯n/ · /ˈtæʊ̯n/
Etymology 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, Swedish and Norwegian tun (“yard”); also archaic Welsh din (“hill”), Irish dún (“fortress”). Doublet of dun. See also -ton and tine (“to enclose”).
10 senses
- 1A settlement; an area with residential districts, shops…
- 2Any more urbanized centre than the place of reference.
- 3A rural settlement in which a market was held at least…
- 4The residents (as opposed to gown: the students…
- 5Used to refer to a town or similar entity under discussion.
- 6A major city, especially one where the speaker is located.
- 7A townhouse.
- 8A municipal organization, such as a corporation, defined…
- 9An enclosure which surrounded the mere homestead or…
- 10A farm or farmstead; also, a court or farmyard.
1
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.
- Apparently the first reference to the making of the town walls of Stafford (it appears pretty clear that the town was never surrounded by one continuous wall or stockade, but partly by one and partly by the other) occurs in the Patent Rolls, from which we find that in 1225 permission was granted by the king to the "good men of Stafford” to collect customs or tolls for a period to enable them to enclose the town.1920, Birmingham Archaeological Society, Transactions and Proceedings for the Year, page 142:
4 more examples
- Walls separated town and country through much of the early modern period. Walls not only protected towns, they also helped give them a sense of autonomy and identity.2001, Thomas Brennan, “Town and country in France , 1550–1750”, in S. R. Epstein, editor, Town and Country in Europe, 1300-1800, page 250:
- Fortifications and town walls clearly highlight the central military significance of towns.2011, Mikuláš Teich, Dušan Kováč, Martin D. Brown, Slovakia in History, page 42:
- As towns continue to grow, replanting vegetation has become a form of urban utopia and green roofs are spreading fast. Last year 1m square metres of plant-covered roofing was built in France, as much as in the US, and 10 times more than in Germany, the pioneer in this field. In Paris 22 hectares of roof have been planted, out of a potential total of 80 hectares.2013 May 10, Audrey Garric, “Urban canopies let nature bloom”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 22, archived from the original on 26 Mar 2019, page 30:
- The medieval town, at least in continental Europe, was walled, and without its defences it was no town.2014, Norman John Greville Pounds, An Economic History of Medieval Europe, page 228:
2
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.
- Judge Short had gone to town, and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
3
UK, Historical A rural settlement in which a market was held at least once a week.
4
The residents (as opposed to gown: the students, faculty, etc.) of a community which is the site of a university.
5
Colloquial, Used without an article Used to refer to a town or similar entity under discussion.
- Call me when you get to town.
- They put up "lost dog" posters all over town.
4 more examples
- My apartment is five minutes from the center of town.
- It's quiet in this part of town.
- I had occasion[…]to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return[…]I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting[…], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
- “Best steak in town is Capital Grille, with the best waiter in town taking care of you, Tom Stevens,” says Matt Keelen, the founder of The Keelen Group.2014, Megan R. Wilson, quoting Scott Talbott, “15 places in DC where lobbyists talk turkey”, in The Hill, archived from the original on 22 Jul 2019:
6
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.2014, Megan R. Wilson, quoting Scott Talbott, “15 places in DC where lobbyists talk turkey”, in The Hill, archived from the original on 22 Jul 2019:
7
Business, Real estate Informal A townhouse.
- Detached houses always sell faster than towns or semis.2002, Garth Turner, The Little Book of Real Estate Wisdom, Toronto, O.N.: Key Porter Books, →ISBN, page 38:
- It's not just market forces that are bringing out the semis and towns. Municipalities are requiring developers to build a mix of homes into their new planned communities, partly out of a concession to make more efficient use of virgin land, but also to address the need for more affordable housing for families who might not be able to crack a $300,000 mortgage.2004 June 11, Derek Raymaker, “Suburbs add semi-detached to the mix”, in The Globe and Mail, Toronto, O.N.: The Woodbridge Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 May 2023:
8
Law A municipal organization, such as a corporation, defined by the laws of the entity of which it is a part.
9
Obsolete 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.
- Derived terms
461 terms
agrotown, assize town, bad part of town, Bean Town, bedroom town, bedtown, big end of town, birthtown, blow town, book town, boom town, boomtown, B-town, bytown, Campbell Town, cathedral town, churchtown, clone town, closed town, coal town, college town, come upon the town, commuter town, company town, county town, cowtown, cow town, cross town, cross-town, crosstown, cybertown, darktown, dog town, dormitory town, down-town, downtown, ecotown, Elizabeth Town, Flo-Town, fortified town, garrison town, gentleman about town, get out of town, ghost town, go-to-town, go to town, go to town on, gray town, hat town, hill town, hilltown, hog town, hometown, home town, intertown, in town, in-town, intown, jerkwater town, kirktown, kirk-town, leave town, man-about-town, man about town, market town, midtown, mining town, model town, monotown, multitown, new kid in town, new town, no brown in town, oldtown, old town, one-blink town, one-camel town, one-horse town, only game in town, on the town, O-town, out-of-town, out of town, paint the town, paint the town red, panchayat town, paper town, park the beef bus in tuna town, Pitt Town, Pitt Town Bottoms, post town, pound town, P-town, Radio Town, resort town, run out of town, satellite town, shacktown, shantytown, shanty town, shire town, skip town, smalltown, small town, small-town, spa town, stannary town, sundowner town, sundown town, sunset town, take someone to brown town, take to pound town, talk of the town, tank town, there is a new sheriff in town, Tiger Town, toast of the town, top end of town, town and gown, town-and-gown, town ball, townball, town belt, town bicycle, town bike, town-building game, town camp, town car, town center, town centre, town clerk, town-clerk, town council, town councillor, town cress, town crier, Town Crow, town drunk, towndweller, town dweller, town-dweller, towned, townee, towner, townfield, townfolk, townful, town gas, town hall, townhall, townhome, townhood, town house, townhouse, townie, townish, townland, townless, townlet, townlike, townling, townly, town mail, townman, town manager, townmate, town mayor, town meeting, town planner, town planning, townscape, townselike, townsfellow, townsfolk, township, townsite, townsman, townsmate, townspeople, townsperson, town square, townswoman, town twinning, town walls, townward, townwards, townwear, townwide, towny, transition town, Troy town, twin town, university town, uptown, Violet Town, wich town, woman about town, woman of the town, wrong side of town, Zoom town, Abbeytown, Abbottstown, Adamstown, Adamstown Heights, Advancetown, Africatown, Alectown, Alfredtown, Allendale Town, Allenstown, Allentown, Andersonstown, Anytown, Arkwright Town, Arrowtown, Bagenalstown, Banglatown, Bankstown, Bankstown Aerodrome, Bardstown, Beantown, Beetown, Belchertown, Bentinck Town, Blacktown, Blanchetown, Blandtown, Blanktown, Blountstown, Bordertown, Bordertown South, Boydtown, Boystown, Bricktown, Bridgetown, Broad Town, Brown's Town, Bungtown, Burketown, Burrum Town, Butetown, Byrdstown, Byrnestown, Cabbagetown, Camden Town, Campbelltown, Canning Town, Canvastown, Cape Town, Capetown, Carlton Town, Castletown, Cathedraltown, Cedartown, Chapeltown, Charlestown, Charles Town, Charlottetown, Chasetown, Chestertown, Chinatown, Churchtown, Clarence Town, Claretown, Cline Town, Cooktown, Coontown, Corney Town, Cornish Town, Cowtown, Creetown, Cundletown, Dalton, Dalton Town with Newton, Davistown, Douglastown, Downingtown, Doylestown, Draperstown, Dufftown, Dunnstown, Earlestown, Easttown, Eatontown, Edgartown, Edgeworthstown, Edwardstown, Eganstown, Elizabethtown, Ellistown, Fartown, Fiddletown, Forbestown, Fordtown, Fountaintown, Francestown, Fredericktown, Freetown, Frenchtown, Fryerstown, Frytown, Georgetown, George Town, Germantown, Gillentown, Glovertown, Gnometown, Goffstown, Gracetown, Grahamstown, Grantown-on-Spey, Graytown, Greeleytown, Greytown, Griffithstown, Hagerstown, Hamilton Town, Harristown, Hartington Town Quarter, Heath Town, Helltown, High Town, Hightown, Hightstown, Hilltown, Hockeytown, Hopetown, Hope Town, Hoskinstown, Huntingtown, Hymietown, Irishtown, Irvinestown, Jamestown, Jamisontown, Jeffersontown, Jenkintown, Jeppestown, Johnstown, Jonestown, Jordanstown, Kelleytown, Kemp Town, Kentish Town, Kent Town, Kingstown, Koreatown, Kwinana Town Centre, Laketown, Latte Town, Lawrencetown, Leonardtown, Levittown, Lewistown, Lombardstown, London Town, Lordstown, Low Town, Marshalltown, Marystown, Marytown, Matlock Town, Maurertown, Medway Towns, Middletown, Mifflintown, Millertown, Milltown, Mitchellstown, Mitchelstown, Mobtown, Morgantown, Morristown, Motown, Murray Town, Nethertown, Newtown, New Town, Nicholtown, Niggatown, Niggertown, Norristown, Old Town, Orangetown, Paechtown, Pembrey and Burry Port Town, Philipstown, Pittstown, Powelltown, Princetown, Provincetown, Puddletown, Pumpkintown, Queenstown, Randalstown, Reisterstown, Robertstown, Rootstown, Rosetown, Ruyton-XI-Towns, Sapphiretown, Saunderstown, Savile Town, Scotchtown, Seatown, Shortstown, Silvertown, Simonstown, Skellytown, Smithtown, Smokeytown, Snowtown, Solomontown, Somers Town, Southtown, South Townsville, Spanish Town, Station Town, Stephentown, St John's Town of Dalry, Stuart Town, Thomastown, Tinseltown, Toontown, Town Common, Town End, Townend, Town Green, Town Head, Townhead, Townhill, Town Line, Townsend, Townson, Townsville, Townsville City, Townview, Town Yetholm, Toytown, Trench Town, Tylertown, Uniontown, Victoriatown, Voluntown, Wallacetown, Warnertown, Watertown, West Town, Westtown, Williamstown, Williamstown North, Williamtown, Wilsontown, Wrightstown, Yankeetown, Yorketown, Yorktown, York Town, Youngstown, Youngtown, English terms starting with- Hypernyms
- settlement