Meaning & use
county
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A local administrative division within a state or country, often responsible for roads, courts, schools, or records.
Grammar: Takes a plural and determiners: the county, several counties; not used for whole nations.
Patterns
- the county government
- across the county
- in a rural county
The county repaired the bridge after the flood.
Property records are kept at the county courthouse.
She volunteers in a rural county outside the city.
nouncountableBritish
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a historic or administrative region within the country.
Grammar: Often capitalized in names: County Kerry, County Durham; common noun lower-case in general reference.
Patterns
- County Kerry/Durham
- a historic county
- boundary of the county
County Kerry is known for dramatic coastal scenery.
The historic county boundaries still appear on old maps.
They moved from the city into the neighboring county.
Word forms
| plural | counties |
|---|
Common combinations
- county government
- County government manages local elections and records.
- county line
- The store sits right on the county line.
- county seat
- The county seat hosts the main courthouse.
- rural county
- Broadband access is limited in some rural counties.
- county council
- The county council approved funding for libraries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- parish
- Parish is a smaller civil division in some places, especially Louisiana, and also a church district; county is larger and more general in the US.
- municipality
- Municipality means a city, town, or local government unit, whereas a county usually contains or oversees multiple municipalities.
Commonly confused: county or country?
county vs country
Country has one o and means a nation or rural land; county is a smaller administrative division.
Practice
In the United States, which division usually sits directly below a state and can run courts, roads, and records?
Choose one answer.
A US county is a subdivision of a state. A province is a regional division in countries like Canada, country is a nation, and continent is a landmass.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “county”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.