district

UK: /ˈdɪstrɪkt/ US: /ˈdɪstrɪkt/ ,(dis′trikt)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

dis•trict /ˈdɪstrɪkt/   n. [countable]

1. Government a division of territory marked off for administrative, electoral, or other purposes:
   the Wall Street district.

See -strict-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

dis•trict  (dis′trikt), n. 

1. Government a division of territory, as of a country, state, or county, marked off for administrative, electoral, or other purposes.
2. a region or locality:
   the theater district; the Lake District.
3. Government [Brit.] a subdivision of a county or a town.
4. Government the District, the District of Columbia;
   Washington, D.C.

v.t. 

5. to divide into districts.

• Medieval Latin distrīctus exercise of justice, (area of ) jurisdiction, derivative of Latin distringere to stretch out (see distrain), equivalent. to di- di-² + strig- (base of stringere to bind, tie) + -tus suffix of verbal action
• French)
• (1605–15

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

district / ˈdɪstrɪkt/ noun

1. an area of land marked off for administrative or other purposes
2. (as modifier): district nurse
3. a locality separated by geographical attributes; region
4. any subdivision of any territory, region, etc
5. (in England from 1974 and in Wales 1974–96) any of the subdivisions of the nonmetropolitan counties that elects a council responsible for local planning, housing, rates, etc
   See also metropolitan district
6. (in Scotland until 1975) a landward division of a county

verb

1. (transitive) to divide into districts

Etymology: 17th Century: from Medieval Latin districtus area of jurisdiction, from Latin distringere to stretch out; see distrain