English Reference
adjective · noun

municipal

adj. · n.
US /mjuˈnɪsəpəɫ/ UK /mjuːnˈɪsɪpəl/ mu·nic·i·pal

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    adj.provided by a city or town for the people who live there.

    adj.relating to the services or infrastructure provided by a local government, such as waste management or water supply.

    Simple

    The city built a new municipal swimming pool that is free for all residents.

    In context

    Efficient municipal waste management is a cornerstone of urban sustainability in rapidly growing metropolitan areas.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Technical Finance

    n.a type of investment where you lend money to a city government.

    n.a debt security or bond issued by a city, county, or state to finance public projects. Often shortened to 'muni' in informal financial contexts.

    Simple

    Many people invest in municipals because the interest is often tax-free.

    In context

    The city issued a series of municipals to fund the construction of the new light rail system.

    Teacher's tip

    In professional financial circles, the plural 'municipals' or the clipping 'munis' is more common than the singular form.

Mayor Suleiman Khourieh estimates roughly seven settler outposts now surround the town – four or five, by his count, sitting directly on Taybeh’s municipal land.

Al Jazeera· 14 Aug 2026

An all-out municipal effort has reduced cases and may offer lessons to American cities.

The New York Times· 13 Aug 2026

Borrowed from French municipal, from Latin mūnicipālis (“of or belonging to a citizen or a free town”), from mūniceps (“a citizen, an inhabitant of a free town”), from mūnus (“duty”) + capiō (“to take”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin mūnicipālis
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Common
Updated