municipality

noun

mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌni-sə-ˈpa-lə-tē 

plural municipalities

1

: a primarily urban political unit having corporate (see corporate sense 1a) status and usually powers of self-government

Elections were held in the municipality.

2

: the governing body of a municipality

The municipality approved the budget for the year.

Synonyms

• asphalt jungle
• burg
• city
• cosmopolis
• megacity
• megalopolis
• metropolis
• town

Examples of municipality in a Sentence

laws that have been enacted by many states and municipalities

a municipality with an excellent police department

Recent Examples on the Web

Like state government, municipalities also have exhausted most of their emergency federal pandemic aid. —Jessika Harkay, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2025

They were later restricted to the Bucharest municipality and nearby Ilfov County, and then to Romania. —Stephen McGrath, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025

The remaining 28% was funded by federal states, municipalities, and power supply companies. —Dianne Plummer, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025

The couple, from the rural municipality of Boa Viagem in the northeastern state of Ceará, first met around 1936 while working in agriculture alongside their respective families. —Erin Clack, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for municipality

• bisexuality
• collegiality
• conditionality
• congeniality
• conventionality
• conviviality
• dimensionality
• directionality
• emotionality
• essentiality
• eventuality
• grammaticality

Kids Definition

municipality

noun

mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌnis-ə-ˈpal-ət-ē 

plural municipalities

: a self-governing city or town

Legal Definition

municipality

noun

mu·​nic·​i·​pal·​i·​ty myu̇-ˌni-sə-ˈpa-lə-tē 

plural municipalities

: a primarily urban municipal corporation

also : the governing body of a municipality