village

noun

vil·​lage ˈvi-lij How to pronounce village (audio)
often attributive
Synonyms of villagenext
1
a
: a settlement usually larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town
b
: an incorporated minor municipality
2
: the residents of a village
3
: something (such as an aggregation of burrows or nests) suggesting a village
4
: a territorial area having the status of a village especially as a unit of local government

Examples of village in a Sentence

Entire villages come to see the parade. we stayed in a charming bed-and-breakfast in a lakeside village
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At that meeting, the village's Judiciary, Personnel and Licensing Committee recommended approval of Lalor's alcohol beverage license application. Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 10 Feb. 2026 Our first stop was the cemetery of Penpont Church, a handsome Gothic Revival building with a spire that towers a hundred and twenty feet over the village. Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026 Also on Monday, an Israeli drone struck a car in the southern Lebanese village of Yanouh, killing three people, including a 3-year-old child, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said, quoting the Health Ministry. Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026 The 59-year-old grumbled that gladhanding throngs of supporters in dusty villages had left him prey to bugs and viruses. Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for village

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French vilage, from vil manorial estate, farmstead, from Latin villa

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of village was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Village.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/village. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

village

noun
vil·​lage ˈvil-ij How to pronounce village (audio)
1
: a place somewhat smaller than a town
2
: the people living in a village

More from Merriam-Webster on village

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