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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/
: 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.