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
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.
Noun
McIntosh’s Bryan Boone, the county’s building and zoning administrator, said just shy of 30 feet was the minimum given the flood risk. — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026 Two county education board members sent letters to State Superintendent Tony Thurmond on Thursday in support of Sacramento City Unified School District, arguing that state intervention could help the district avoid insolvency. — Chaewon Chung august 8, Sacbee.com, 8 Aug. 2026 Four people, including a man serving time for murder, have been arrested and accused of smuggling drugs and other contraband into the Pulaski County jail, a news release from the county sheriff's office says. — Arkansas Online, 8 Aug. 2026 Tucked in the northern tip of the county is Jackson's hometown of Allagash, where pavement turns into the logging roads and where Jackson went to work as a lumberjack at 19. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 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 10 Aug. 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

Nglish: Translation of county for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about county

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