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town

town

1.0
A place where people live that is bigger than a village but smaller than a city
  • noun
  • /taʊn/
translation icon : pueblo
  • I grew up in a small town where everyone knew each other.
  • a small town
  • come to town
  • the town hall

This woman literally left town with no word.

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Examples

  • I'll be leaving town for a little while.

  • Sharon, for those who don't know, is a suburban town close to Boston.

  • This is where we're going to build our town, OK?

  • The man in town asked where we live.

  • - We're gonna go to town and buy us a car.

  • This is no town for a girl like her.

  • Town Square magazine wanted stories about small American towns and what made them special.

    Academic text (2011)
  • "Do you feel safe in Logan?" I asked, about a town where most residents never lock their doors.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The next day, the sisters head to town to sell the wolf.

  • I didn't want to leave the town that I lived in my whole life.

Synonyms

small town
vstown
245 1.5

A community with few people and few shops

is the standard mid-sized settlement, not specifically smaller
municipality
vstown
63 4.4

A town or city that has its own local government and the people who run it

is defined by being between village and city in size
township
vstown
20 3.2

A small community outside a city where people live

is the typical mid-sized settlement between village and city
new town
vstown
12 3.9

A town planned and built in a new area with houses, shops, and schools

is a naturally formed settlement rather than a planned development
company town
vstown
4 5.8

A town owned by one business where workers live and shop

is a general population center not dominated by one employer
market town
vstown
  • UK
1 3.1

A town that regularly holds a public market

is the usual residential settlement regardless of trading rights
county town
vstown
  • UK
3.4

A town where the county government has its main offices

is any settlement by size, not only administrative centers
shire town
vstown
8.4

A town that is the main place for county government, like where the courthouse is

is the general size-based settlement, not a regional title

Idioms

145 1.1

Present in a town or city for a short visit

44 1.0

Within the area of a town or city, not in the countryside

Something or someone that everyone in a place talks about

5 7.2

A person new in charge who makes rules stricter

3 6.9

To go out and celebrate by visiting bars or clubs

3 6.3

A person many people in a town or local area admire and like

new kid in town
  • Informal
2 4.3

A person new to a place who people notice

An offer with the lowest price or best value in the area

1 9.9

To make someone suddenly need to go to the toilet after eating

the town bicycle
  • Offensive
9.9

A person people in a community say has many sexual partners

Compounds

245 1.5

A community with few people and few shops

178 3.2

Happening in another town or city, not local

42 2.6

A meeting where people in a town discuss and decide local issues

39 3.7

A meeting where officials speak to people and answer questions

31 4.9

A town with no people because everyone left, often once lively

A meeting where local people ask officials questions and discuss community issues

15 3.0

The outer part of a town where it meets the countryside

14 1.5

A building where local government offices work and meet the public

12 3.9

A town planned and built in a new area with houses, shops, and schools

one-horse town
  • Informal
4 6.0

A small town with few shops and little to do

4 5.8

A town owned by one business where workers live and shop

A man who often goes to restaurants, parties, and the theater for fun

3 4.4

A town that grows quickly and becomes rich after a new industry or discovery

3 7.3

A small town where people raise and sell cows

town crier
  • Archaic
2 9.5

A person who walks the streets telling people the news and ringing a bell

town clerk
  • Formal
2 3.1

An official who keeps the town's records and papers

1 3.1

A town that regularly holds a public market

1 3.6

Deciding where roads, houses, and shops go in towns and cities

1 3.0

A house in a row that shares walls with neighbours

A warm, friendly feeling in a small town where people know each other

Wealthy, powerful people who make major business or political decisions

Bean Town
  • Informal
7.5

A nickname for Boston, the capital of Massachusetts

brown town
  • Offensive
9.9

A funny phrase for having diarrhea or being in an embarrassing situation

3.4

A town where the county government has its main offices

7.2

A place with many dogs and shops, parks and services for dog owners

hog town
  • Informal
8.4

A busy town known for pig farming and lively markets

pound town
  • Offensive
9.9

To have sex or party wildly

The most expensive area of a town where rich people live

The relationship between a university and the people who live in the town

town bicycle
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who has had romantic or sexual relationships with many people

town drunkard
  • Offensive
8.1

A person in a town who often drinks too much and people know it

town gas
  • Archaic
7.2

Fuel made from coal that people use in homes for light, heat, and cooking

A town that is the main place for county government, like where the courthouse is

How Big

metropolis
175 5.2
city
1.0
town
1.0
village
1.0
hamlet
24 5.0

Surface Forms

town singular
towns plural

Etymology

Town comes from the old English word tun, meaning 'enclosure' or 'farm', a fenced place where people lived and worked. Over time these enclosures grew into villages with shops and a center, so town now means a place larger than a village but smaller than a city.