1
a
: a medieval fortified group of houses forming a town with special duties and privileges
b
: a town or urban constituency in Great Britain that sends a member to Parliament
c
: an urban area in Great Britain incorporated for purposes of self-government
2
a
: a municipal corporation proper in some states (such as New Jersey and Minnesota) corresponding to the incorporated town or village of the other states
b
: one of the five constituent political divisions of New York City
3
: a civil division of the state of Alaska corresponding to a county in most other states
Examples of borough in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jobs are at their highest levels in city history, crime is down across the five boroughs, and people are coming back to the greatest city on the globe.
—
David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
My experience as Manhattan borough president and a City Council member has given me firsthand knowledge of this problem.
—Mark Levine, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2025
In a matter of days, the car had already made its way through all five boroughs as well as several states.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
The Brooklyn Bridge, an engineering marvel connecting the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan, opened to the public in 1883; the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886.
—Jacoba Urist, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
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David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
My experience as Manhattan borough president and a City Council member has given me firsthand knowledge of this problem.
—Mark Levine, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2025
In a matter of days, the car had already made its way through all five boroughs as well as several states.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
The Brooklyn Bridge, an engineering marvel connecting the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan, opened to the public in 1883; the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886.
—Jacoba Urist, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borough
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Cite this Entry
“Borough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borough. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
borough
noun
bor·ough
ˈbər-ō 
1
a
: a town or urban area in Great Britain that sends a member to Parliament
b
: a self-governing urban area in Great Britain
2
: a self-governing town or village in some states
3
: one of the five political divisions of New York City
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