district
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.an area of a country or city that has its own local government or services.
n.a defined administrative division of a territory, often established for electoral, judicial, or municipal purposes.
Simple“The school district decided to build a new library for the local students.”
In context“The city council voted to redraw the boundaries of the business district to encourage further commercial investment in the suburbs.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
n.a part of a town or country that is known for a particular activity or look.
n.a region or locality distinguished by a particular characteristic, industry, or social quality.
Simple“We spent the afternoon walking through the historic theatre district.”
In context“The warehouse district has recently undergone a transformation into a trendy residential area filled with art galleries and lofts.”
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a specific section of a mine where workers are digging for coal or minerals.
n.a specific, designated area of a mine or coalface where particular seams are actively worked.
Simple“The miners were moved to a different district because the current seam was exhausted.”
In context“Safety inspectors closed the western district of the mine following reports of structural instability in the primary coal seam.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a short name for the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States.
n.A proper noun usage referring specifically to the District of Columbia.
Simple“He moved to the District last year to start his new job at the State Department.”
In context“Commuters from Virginia and Maryland flood into the District every morning, doubling its daytime population.”
SynonymsD.C.washington - 05 C1 Advanced
v.to divide a large area into smaller parts for government or planning.
v.To divide a territory into administrative or functional sectors. Transitive use.
Simple“The province was districted to make it easier to manage the local elections.”
In context“The legislature struggled to agree on how to district the state without appearing to favour one political party over another.”
Usage district court · district attorney · district judge
“John Laurenson reports from La Défense in Paris on how Europe's biggest business district is turning vacant office space into housing.”
“Every evening around 5pm, streams of workers wearing company lanyards spill out of high-rise offices in the district of Cubao in Manila.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.