county

noun

An administrative or geographical region of various countries, including Bhutan, Canada, China, Croatia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and 47 of the 50 United States (excluding Alaska, Connecticut, and Louisiana).

A definitive geographic region, without direct administrative functions.

(US, slang, uncountable) A jail operated by a county government.

(historical) The land ruled by a count or a countess.

adjective

Characteristic of a ‘county family’; representative of the gentry or aristocracy of a county.

Roots

comescount- · Latin · companion, count

Synonyms for county

shiren townshipn shrievaltyadj boroughn districtn earldomn precinctn cityn staten wapentake

Synonyms & related words for county

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of county — including shire, township, shrievalty, borough, district, earldom. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to county

Explore words related to county — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include countywide, sheriff, unincorporated, undersheriff, midland, derry, linn, volost. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for county

Common synonyms for county include shire, township, shrievalty, borough, district, earldom, precinct, city — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does county come from?

The word county breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root count-, from Latin comes (“companion, count”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.