borough

/ˈbʌroʊ/

/ˈbʌrəʊ/

Other forms: boroughs

A borough is a town that has its own government. It also can be a part of a big city that has powers of self-government. Manhattan is just one of the five boroughs that make up New York City.

When a borough is part of a big city, it represents a more formal division than just a neighborhood. It’s a separate town, often one that has its own government. When you move from one borough to another, you might notice different tax rates or different parking regulations. In England the word often refers to a town that has a representative in Parliament. Pronounce the second syllable in borough with a long “o” sound, like the donkey (burro).

Definitions of borough

1. noun

   an English town that forms the constituency of a member of parliament
   types:

   burgh

   a borough in Scotland

   pocket borough

   a sparsely populated borough in which all or most of the land is owned by a single family

   rotten borough

   an English parliamentary constituency with few electors

   type of:

   town, townsfolk, townspeople

   the people living in a municipality smaller than a city
2. noun

   one of the administrative divisions of a large city
   examples:

   Greenwich

   a borough of Greater London on the Thames; zero degrees of longitude runs through Greenwich; time is measured relative to Greenwich Mean Time

   City of Westminster

   a borough of Greater London on the Thames; contains Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey

   Bronx

   a borough of New York City

   Brooklyn

   a borough of New York City

   Manhattan

   one of the five boroughs of New York City

   Queens

   a borough of New York City

   Staten Island

   a borough of New York City

   type of:

   administrative district, administrative division, territorial division

   a district defined for administrative purposes