View synonyms for

county

[ koun-tee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural counties.

the largest administrative division of a U.S. state:
Miami, Florida, is in Dade County.
one of the chief administrative divisions of a country or state, as in Great Britain and Ireland.
one of the larger divisions for purposes of local administration, as in Canada and New Zealand.
the territory of a county, especially its rural areas:
We farmed out in the county before moving to town.
the inhabitants of a county:
It was supposed to be a secret, but you told the whole county.
the domain of a count or earl.

county

[ koun-tee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Obsolete.

count ².

county

/ ˈ�첹ʊ�Գ�ɪ /

noun

1. any of the administrative or geographic subdivisions of certain states, esp any of the major units into which England and Wales are or have been divided for purposes of local government
2. ( as modifier )
  county cricket
an electoral division in a rural area
obsolete.
the lands under the jurisdiction of a count or earl

adjective

informal.
having the characteristics and habits of the inhabitants of country houses and estates, esp an upper-class accent and an interest in horses, dogs, etc

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of county¹

1250–1300; Middle English counte < Anglo-French ��ǳܲԳ�é, Old French cunté, conte < Late Latin ��ǳ��ٳܲ� imperial seat, office of a comes ( count ² ), equivalent to Latin comit-, stem of comes + -��ٳܲ� -ate ³ (or by reanalysis of Latin ��ǳ��ٳܲ� escort, retinue, originally verbal noun of ��ǳ��ī to accompany, derivative of comes

Origin of county²

1540–50; < Anglo-French counte count ²; -y by confusion with county ¹

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of county¹

C14: from Old French ��ǲԳ�é land belonging to a count, from Late Latin ��ǳ��ٳܲ� office of a count, from comes count ²

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Sam Cook has been the outstanding seam bowler in county cricket for the past number of years.

From

About 1,650 seats will be contested on 14 county councils, eight unitary authorities, one metropolitan district and in the Isles of Scilly.

From

He said the site was "picturesque" and had become one of the "most prominent and appreciated features" in Northumberland, a symbol of the county with an unmistakeable profile.

From

The other half will receive nothing and never know they were chosen, but will be monitored through any contacts with county or homeless agencies they make.

From

“We’re human beings and we have feelings and we care about marine life — that’s one of the reasons we chose this profession,” said Parker, a captain in the county Fire Department’s lifeguard division.

From

count to ten county agent

Browse