town

town [toun]

n.

[ME < OE tun, enclosed space, group of houses, village, town; akin to Ger zaun, fence, hedge, OIr dūn, fortified camp]

1. [Brit. Dial.] a group of houses; hamlet

2. a more or less concentrated group of houses and private and public buildings, larger than a village but smaller than a city

3. a city or other thickly populated urban place

4.

☆ a) in parts of the U.S., TOWNSHIP (sense 2)

b) in New England and some other states, a unit of local government having its sovereignty vested chiefly in a town meeting

5. in England, a village that holds a market periodically

6. the business center of a city [to go into town]

7. the inhabitants, voters, etc. of a town

8. the local residents of a town as distinct from the members of a college within the town: cf. GOWN

adj.

of, in, for, or characteristic of a town

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go to town Slang

1. to go on a spree; indulge in something without restraint

2. to work or act fast and efficiently

☆ 3. to be eminently successful

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☆ on the town

Informal out for a good time at the theater, nightclubs, bars, etc.