# village

/ˈvɪɫədʒ/ (US) · /vˈɪlɪdʒ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/village
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. rural settlement

noun · CEFR A1

a small group of houses and buildings in the countryside.

For teachers: a small human settlement in a rural area, typically larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town.

- They live in a quiet village where everyone knows their neighbours.
- The remote village was accessible only by a narrow winding road that became impassable during the heavy winter snows.

### 2. planned community

noun · CEFR B2 · American English · British English

a group of buildings designed for a specific purpose, like a retirement home or shopping area.

For teachers: a planned residential or commercial community, such as a retirement village or a themed shopping district.

- My grandparents moved into a retirement village where they have medical support.
- The developers designed the Olympic village to be converted into affordable housing once the international competition concluded.

### 3. gated community

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal · Dialect

a private, often expensive, area of houses with a gate or security.

For teachers: an exclusive, often gated, residential subdivision or housing development.

- The family lives in a luxury village with a private security guard at the entrance.
- The expansion of exclusive gated villages has created a stark physical divide between different socio-economic groups in the city.

Teaching tip: This sense is particularly common in the Philippines and parts of South Asia to describe upscale residential areas.

## Examples

- I live in a small village near the mountains.
- The village has only one grocery store and a small post office for all the local residents.
- While urban centers offer more career opportunities, many people prefer the quiet pace of a village where the community remains tightly knit and the landscape is preserved.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.