county

1 of 2

noun (1)

coun·​ty ˈkau̇n-tē How to pronounce county (audio)
plural counties
1
: the domain of a count
2
a
: one of the territorial divisions of England and Wales and formerly also of Scotland and Northern Ireland constituting the chief units for administrative, judicial, and political purposes
b(1)
: the people of a county
(2)
British : the gentry of a county
3
: the largest territorial division for local government within a state of the U.S.
4
: the largest local administrative unit in various countries
county adjective

county

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural counties
archaic
: count entry 3

Examples of county in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
The advisory is for Wise, Denton, Collin, Tarrant, Dallas, Johnson, Montague, Cooke, Grayson, Rockwall, Kaufman, Van Zandt, Rains, Ellis, Henderson and Navarro counties. — Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026 According to the county authorities and neighbors on dry land, the anchor-outs are also homeless, and their not-always-seaworthy vessels are a threat to the bay’s ecosystem. — Maggie McGowan, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026 My colleague Caroline Petrow-Cohen documented the company’s victory in August, when the California Public Utilities Commission gave Waymo the green light to expand into Marin, Napa, Orange and Riverside counties, among other places. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 Hundreds more cameras could be left operating and unaffected throughout the four-county region. — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for county

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English counte, from Anglo-French cunté, counté, from Medieval Latin comitatus, from Late Latin, office of a count, from comit-, comes count — more at count

Noun (2)

modification of Middle French comte

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1539, in the meaning defined above

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

Phrases Containing county

Rhymes for county

See All Rhymes for county

Browse Nearby Words

count wheel
county
county agent
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“County.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/county. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

county

noun
coun·​ty
ˈkau̇nt-ē
plural counties
1
: the area owned by a count
2
: a division of a state or of a country for local government
Etymology

Noun

Middle English counte "division of the country for the purposes of government," from early French counté "region under control of a count," derived from Latin comes count — related to count entry 3

More from Merriam-Webster on county

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about county

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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