What does "district" mean?

1. (administrative area) an area of a country or city that has its own local government or services. 2. (area with a special feature) a part of a town or country that is known for a particular activity or look. 3. (mining area) a specific section of a mine where workers are digging for coal or minerals. 4. (Washington D.C.) a short name for the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States. 5. (to divide into areas) to divide a large area into smaller parts for government or planning.

district

n. · v.

US //ˈdɪstɹɪkt// UK //dˈɪstɹɪkt// dis·trict

1 administrative area (n.)
B1 Intermediate

an area of a country or city that has its own local government or services.

a defined administrative division of a territory, often established for electoral, judicial, or municipal purposes.

Example

The school district decided to build a new library for the local students.

Example

The city council voted to redraw the boundaries of the business district to encourage further commercial investment in the suburbs.
2 area with a special feature (n.)
B1 Intermediate

a part of a town or country that is known for a particular activity or look.

a region or locality distinguished by a particular characteristic, industry, or social quality.

Example

We spent the afternoon walking through the historic theatre district.

Example

The warehouse district has recently undergone a transformation into a trendy residential area filled with art galleries and lofts.

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3 mining area (n.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Science

a specific section of a mine where workers are digging for coal or minerals.

a specific, designated area of a mine or coalface where particular seams are actively worked.

Example

The miners were moved to a different district because the current seam was exhausted.

Example

Safety inspectors closed the western district of the mine following reports of structural instability in the primary coal seam.
- section
- seam
4 Washington D.C. (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate American English Informal

a short name for the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States.

A proper noun usage referring specifically to the District of Columbia.

Example

He moved to the District last year to start his new job at the State Department.

Example

Commuters from Virginia and Maryland flood into the District every morning, doubling its daytime population.
- D.C.
- washington
5 to divide into areas (v.)
C1 Advanced Formal

to divide a large area into smaller parts for government or planning.

To divide a territory into administrative or functional sectors. Transitive use.

Example

The province was districted to make it easier to manage the local elections.

Example

The legislature struggled to agree on how to district the state without appearing to favour one political party over another.
- unify
- merge

Origin

From French district, from Medieval Latin districtus (“a district within which the lord may distrain, also jurisdiction”), from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere (“to draw asunder, compel, distrain”), from dis- (“apart”) + stringere (“to draw tight, strain”). Doublet of Detroit.