borough

noun

bor·​ough ˈbər-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce borough (audio)
ˈbə-(ˌ)rō
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
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.
Four years ago, there were 77 shooting victims in the borough through this point in July compared to 30 victims so far in 2025, according to NYPD CompStat data. Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025 Tanya is a former television reporter for NY1 News, where she was assigned to her home borough of Queens, New York. Tanya Benedicto Klich, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025 No other act in music boasted nine inimitable personalities, with disparate styles and sharp lyricism, who all called a single New York borough, Staten Island, home. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2025 The festival will feature more than 200 comedians at 100 shows at venues across the five boroughs for 10 days from Nov. 7-16. Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for borough

Word History

Etymology

Middle English burgh, from Old English burg fortified town; akin to Old High German burg fortified place, and probably to Old English beorg hill — more at barrow

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of borough was before the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Borough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borough. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

borough

noun
bor·​ough ˈbər-ō How to pronounce borough (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on borough

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