A borough is a town, or a district within a large town, which has its own council.
...the South London borough of Lambeth.
...the New York City borough of Brooklyn.
...Kirklees Borough Council.
Synonyms: district, area, community, quarter More Synonyms of borough
borough in British English
(ˈbʌrə)
noun
1.
a town, esp (in Britain) one that forms the constituency of an MP or that was originally incorporated by royal charter
See also burgh
2.
any of the 32 constituent divisions that together with the City of London make up Greater London
3.
any of the five constituent divisions of New York City
4.
(in the US) a self-governing incorporated municipality
5.
(in medieval England) a fortified town or village or a fort
6.
(in New Zealand) a small municipality with a governing body
Word origin
Old English burg; related to beorgan to shelter, Old Norse borg wall, Gothic baurgs city, Old High German burg fortified castle
borough in American English
(ˈbɜroʊ)
noun
1.
in certain states of the U.S., a self-governing, incorporated town
2.
the basic unit of local government in Alaska (in full organized borough): the unincorporated area of the state, governed by the legislature, is called the unorganized borough
3.
any of the five administrative units of New York City
4.
in England
a.
a town with a municipal corporation and rights to self-government granted by royal charter
b.
a town that sends one or more representatives to Parliament
c. Obsolete
any fortified town larger than a village
Word origin
ME burgh < OE burg, burh, town, fortified place, akin to Ger burg < IE *bhgh, fortified elevation < base *bhereĝh-, high > barrow2
Examples of 'borough' in a sentence
borough
Luton borough council has failed to quantify this unmet need.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But people on the borough council will.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The number varies by borough with some council areas having 200 times as many points as others.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In many cases blanket 20mph zones have been introduced across whole towns or boroughs.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Hunt is not the only resident of the royal borough who wants to dig deep.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Westminster city council is one borough that has successfully fought back.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
London boroughs often send council tenants to other boroughs or outside the capital because of high rents.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We have to watch that the demands of one borough will not adversely affect another.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Greenwich borough council seems to think so.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The other thing not many people know is that you are not restricted to one borough.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
These tiny, or " rotten " boroughs were an embarrassment.
Divine, Robert A. (editor) & Breen, T. H & Frederickson, George M & Williams, R. Hal America Past and Present (1995)
The club would also commit to funding sport in the five Olympic boroughs through their charitable foundation.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It won't be enough to sit tight in a safely rotten borough.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It's not a rotten borough any more.
The Sun (2015)
Corruption was rife in the political scene, particularly in the rotten boroughs.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We would be passing through six counties and one London borough.
The Sun (2012)
The people of Britain will not rest until this rotten borough is swept clean from top to bottom.
The Sun (2008)
A maximum speed limit of 20mph is to be introduced to towns and boroughs across the country.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
A victory march through the five boroughs would constitute a gauntlet thrown down to her Beijing rivals.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I have no idea whether Swindon borough council is right.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The borough council was delighted, and withdrew the area's status as protected landscape.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In other languages
borough
British English: borough NOUN
A borough is a town, or a district within a large town, which has its own council.
They generally live in the outer boroughs.
American English: borough
Brazilian Portuguese: município
Chinese: 自治市
European Spanish: municipio
French: municipalité
German: Bezirk
Italian: comune
Japanese: >区行政単位としての
Korean: 자치 도시
European Portuguese: município
Latin American Spanish: municipio
All related terms of 'borough'
borough council
a local government body elected by a borough
borough-English
(until 1925) a custom in certain English boroughs whereby the youngest son inherited land to the exclusion of his older brothers
county borough
(in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974 and in Wales from 1996) a borough administered independently of any higher tier of local government
pocket borough
(before the Reform Act of 1832) an English borough constituency controlled by one person or family who owned the land
rotten borough
(before the Reform Act of 1832) any of certain English parliamentary constituencies with only a very few electors
Chinese translation of 'borough'
borough
(ˈbʌrə; USˈbʌrəu)
n(c)
自治城市 (zìzhì chéngshì) (个(個), gè)
(noun)
Definition
any of the constituent divisions of Greater London or New York City
the New York City borough of Brooklyn
Synonyms
district
I drove around the business district.
area
the large number of community groups in the area
community
a township on the outskirts of the mining community
quarter
He wandered through the Chinese quarter.
region
a remote mountain region
sector
Officers were going to retake sectors of the city.
ward
Canvassers are focusing on marginal wards in this election.
parish
the vicar of a small parish in a West Country town
neighbourhood
It seemed like a good neighbourhood to raise my children.
locality
Details of the drinking water quality in your locality can be obtained.
locale
Additional synonyms
in the sense of area
Definition
a section, part, or region
the large number of community groups in the area
Synonyms
region,
land,
quarter,
division,
sector,
district,
stretch,
territory,
zone,
plot,
province,
patch,
neighbourhood,
sphere,
turf (slang),
realm,
domain,
tract,
locality,
neck of the woods (informal)
in the sense of community
a township on the outskirts of the mining community
Synonyms
district,
area,
quarter,
region,
sector,
parish,
neighbourhood,
vicinity,
locality,
locality,
locale,
neck of the woods (informal)
in the sense of locality
Definition
a neighbourhood or area
Details of the drinking water quality in your locality can be obtained.