A town is a place with many streets and buildings, where people live and work. Towns are larger than villages and smaller than cities. Many places thatare called towns in Britain would be called cities in the United States.
...Saturday night in the small town of Braintree, Essex. [+ of]
Parking can be tricky in the town centre.
You can use the town to refer to the people of a town.
The town takes immense pride in recent achievements.
2. uncountable noun
You use town in order to refer to the town where you live.
He admits he doesn't even know when his brother is in town.
She left town.
...attractive and fun loving Americans, new to town.
3. uncountable noun
You use town in order to refer to the central area of a town where most of the shops and offices are.
I walked around town.
I caught a bus into town.
4. singular noun
If you refer to the town, you are referring to town and city areas in general, as opposed to country areas.
[mainly British]
More people are going to want to escape from the town into the country.
It had the advantages of town and country combined.
regional note: in AM, usually use the city
5. See also ghost town, hometown, new town
6.
See go to town
7.
See man about town
8.
See on the town
More Synonyms of town
town in British English
(taʊn)
noun
1.
a.
a densely populated urban area, typically smaller than a city and larger than a village, having some local powers of government and a fixed boundary
b.
(as modifier)
town life
▶ Related adjective: urban
2.
a city, borough, or other urban area
3.
(in the US) a territorial unit of local government that is smaller than a county; township
4.
the nearest town or commercial district
5.
London or the chief city of an area
6.
the inhabitants of a town
7.
the permanent residents of a university town as opposed to the university staff and students
Compare gown (sense 3)
8. go to town
9. on the town
Derived forms
townish (ˈtownish)
adjective
townless (ˈtownless)
adjective
Word origin
Old English tūn village; related to Old Saxon, Old Norse tūn, Old High German zūn fence, Old Irish dūn
town in American English
(taʊn)
noun
1. British, Dialectal
a group of houses; hamlet
2.
a more or less concentrated group of houses and private and public buildings, larger than a village but smaller than a city
3.
a city or other thickly populated urban place
4. US
a.
in parts of the U.S., township (sense 2)
b.
in New England and some other states, a unit of local government having its sovereignty vested chiefly in a town meeting
5.
in England, a village that holds a market periodically
6.
the business center of a city
to go into town
7.
the inhabitants, voters, etc. of a town
8.
the local residents of a town as distinct from the members of a college within the town
see also gown
adjective
9.
of, in, for, or characteristic of a town
Idioms:
go to town
on the town
Word origin
ME < OE tun, enclosed space, group of houses, village, town; akin to Ger zaun, fence, hedge, OIr dūn, fortified camp
More idioms containing
town
the only game in town
a one-horse town
go to town on something
paint the town red
Examples of 'town' in a sentence
town
We also wander around the old town.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Night on the town or night on the sofa?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is simply not acceptable for the town people.
The Sun (2017)
In our villages and our smaller towns.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Many of these places are commuter towns and we are finding that buyers are looking further afield than before.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The couple and 400 guests had the town centre to themselves for three hours last week.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Around town the steering is delightfully light, allowing it to dance around city and town environments like a ballerina.
The Sun (2017)
I bank online but many elderly residents do not, and buses to neighbouring towns are rare or nonexistent.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You need to book at this restaurant in the old town.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
These areas need proper town planning with a range of tenure mixes and social facilities.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
To take on the ailing business seemed to be our last bus to town.
Thompson, Sir Peter Sharing the Success - the story of NFC (1990)
This is more than just a university town.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The smaller blocks are likely to be in a town or city centre.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Yet people in the town undoubtedly feel it is being swamped.
The Sun (2014)
This would be the first of many town and gown battles.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The players met at a nightclub in town and the place went crazy as we walked in.
The Sun (2008)
You dared not go into the town centre at night because of the mayhem.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
You may well be happier in one of the larger country towns.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Town halls are bureaucracies whose aim in life is to keep expanding.
The Sun (2008)
Major towns in each area were selected and shareholders were invited to attend.
Thompson, Sir Peter Sharing the Success - the story of NFC (1990)
He was driving a bus in the town and it has really shaken me.
The Sun (2010)
In a sleepy university town you may have to pay more.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We wore them and people put them up all over town.
The Sun (2013)
The other violence he recalls was town versus gown.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The feeling of country and towns was still patriotic.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
Religious buildings are ideally placed in towns and villages across the country to answer contemporary needs in ways different from last year.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Zagreb's elegant old town and buzzing nightlife are well worth jumping on a plane for.
The Sun (2016)
Rubber components made in the small Wiltshire town found their way into railways all over the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
THREE pals show off their war wounds after a night on the town.
The Sun (2015)
Electricity does not reach much beyond the main towns and cities, and most people rely instead on wood or charcoal for heat and light.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Please supply us with a daytime telephone number, the town or city you live in and as much detail about your car as you can.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Quotations
God made the country, and man made the townWilliam CowperThe Task
All related terms of 'town'
boom town
A boom town is a town which has rapidly become very rich and full of people, usually because industry or business has developed there.
Cape Town
the legislative capital of South Africa and capital of Western Cape province , situated in the southwest on Table Bay : founded in 1652, the first White settlement in southern Africa; important port . Pop: 3 660 447 (2015 est)
cow town
a town in a cattle-ranching region , esp. one with stockyards, slaughterhouses, etc.
hick town
an insulting way of referring to a small town in the countryside that is not deemed to be very sophisticated
home town
the town where a person lives, or where they come from
new town
A new town is a town that has been planned and built as a single project , including houses , shops , and factories , rather than one that has developed gradually.
post town
a town having a main Post Office branch
spa town
a town where water comes out of the ground and people come to drink it or lie in it because they think it will improve their health
tank town
a small or insignificant town
town gas
coal gas manufactured for domestic and industrial use
town hall
In Britain , a town hall in a town is a large building owned and used by the town council , often as its main office . You can also use town hall to refer to the town council that uses this building.
town life
the life or lifestyle characteristic of a town or urban area, esp as contrasted with rural or country life
town milk
milk treated by pasteurization for direct consumption , as opposed to dairy factory milk for the production of butter , cheese , etc
town plan
a comprehensive document which sets out a vision of the physical and social development of a town, including the construction of facilities
twin town
a town that has civic associations , such as reciprocal visits and cultural exchanges , with a foreign town, usually of similar size and sometimes with other similarities, as in commercial activities
chief town
a town or city that is the administrative centre of a region
county town
A county town is the most important town in a county, where the local government is.
cross-town
going across or following a route across a town
George Town
a port in NW Malaysia , capital of Penang state, in NE Penang Island : the first chartered city of the Malayan federation . Pop: 162 000 (2005 est)
ghost town
A ghost town is a town which used to be busy and wealthy but is now poor and deserted.
market town
A market town is a town, especially in a country area, that has or used to have a market in it.
resort town
a holiday town
shanty town
A shanty town is a collection of rough huts which poor people live in, usually in or near a large city.
small town
Small town is used when referring to small places, usually in the United States, where people are friendly, honest, and polite, or to the people there. Small town is also sometimes used to suggest that someone has old-fashioned ideas .
town centre
the most important commercial or business area of a town, containing most of the shops , banks , restaurants etc
town clerk
(in Britain until 1974) the secretary and chief administrative officer of a town or city
town crier
In former times, a town crier was a man whose job was to walk through the streets of a town shouting out news and official announcements.
town house
A town house is a tall narrow house in a town, usually in a row of similar houses.
commuter town
a town that is home mainly to commuters
company town
a town built by a company for its employees
garrison town
a town containing a military base
go to town
If you say that someone goes to town on something, you mean that they deal with it with a lot of enthusiasm or intensity .
mushroom town
a town that has grown very quickly
town council
A town council is a group of people who have been elected to govern a British town.
town dweller
a person who resides in a town
town meeting
an assembly of the inhabitants of a town
town planning
Town planning is the planning and design of all the new buildings , roads , and parks in a place in order to make them attractive and convenient for the people who live there.
jerkwater town
a small unimportant town
on the town
If you go out on the town or go for a night on the town , you enjoy yourself by going to a town centre in the evening and spending a long time there visiting several places of entertainment.
out-of-town
Out-of-town shops or facilities are situated away from the centre of a town or city.
overspill town
a town built or expanded to house excess population from a nearby city
town councillor
a person who has been elected to govern a British town as part of a town council
man about town
If you describe someone as a man about town or a woman about town , you mean that they are sophisticated, like to go out and spend money , and have a busy social life.
one-horse town
a small or obscure town
a one-horse town
a town that is very small and uninteresting
boomtown
a town that has sprung up or expanded rapidly as a result of an economic boom
townhome
A townhome is the same as a townhouse .
paint the town red
to go out and enjoy yourself
county seat
A county seat is the same as a → county town .
Georgetown
the capital and chief port of Guyana , at the mouth of the Demerara River: became capital of the Dutch colonies of Essequibo and Demerara in 1784; seat of the University of Guyana. Pop: 237 000 (2005 est)
Chinese translation of 'town'
town
(taun)
n
(c)城镇(鎮) (chéngzhèn) (个(個), gè)
(u) (= one's home town) 家乡(鄉) (jiāxiāng)
⇒ She left town.她离开了家乡。 (Tā líkāile jiāxiāng.)
to go to town (fig) 以极大的精力去做 (yǐ jí dà de jīnglì qù zuò)
in town在市中心 (zài shì zhōngxīn)
to be out of town出城 (chū chéng)
Nearby words of
town
towelling
tower
tower block
town
town centre
town hall
toxic
All related terms of 'town'
in town
在市中心 zài shì zhōngxīn
home town
家乡(鄉) jiāxiāng
town hall
市政厅(廳) shìzhèngtīng [ 个(個) gè ]
town centre
市中心 shìzhōngxīn [ 个(個) gè ]
out-of-town
( shop, supermarket ) 郊区(區)的 jiāoqū de
to go to town
( fig ) 以极大的精力去做 yǐ jí dà de jīnglì qù zuò
let's go into town
我们(們)进(進)城吧 wǒmen jìnchéng ba
the town/city proper
城/市区(區) chéng/shìqū
to be out of town
出城 chū chéng
all over the town/house/floor
全镇(鎮)/满(滿)屋子/满(滿)地 quánzhèn/mǎn wūzi/mǎn dì
(noun)
Definition
a large group of houses, shops, factories, etc., smaller than a city and larger than a village
The town is under indefinite curfew.
Synonyms
city
Around the city small groups of police patrolled the streets.
settlement
municipality
Traffic is the problem of the municipality.
dorp (South Africa)
a South African farm girl born in a dorp called Benoni
related words
related adjectivesoppidanurban
Quotation
God made the country, and man made the town [William Cowper – The Task]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dorp
Definition
a small town or village
a South African farm girl born in a dorp called Benoni
Synonyms
town,
village,
settlement,
municipality,
kainga or kaika (New Zealand)
in the sense of municipality
Definition
a city, town, or district enjoying local self-government