district

district — noun

1. An officially defined section within a country or city, marked by clear borders

1.nounB1
Definition

An officially defined section within a country or city, marked by clear borders and created for purposes such as local government, elections, or administration. The word can also refer to any part of a place known for a particular feature — for instance, a business district or a historic district.

Example

Talia works in the financial district, where most of the city's banks are located.

common compound noun: financial district

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

compound noun: school district

Common collocations
  • business district
  • financial district
  • school district
  • residential district
  • shopping district
  • historic district
  • industrial district
  • entire district
  • neighbouring district
Synonyms
  • area

    the most general term, no official boundaries implied

  • region

    usually larger than a district; may be defined by natural or cultural features rather than official lines

  • zone

    emphasises a section set aside for a specific function or restriction (e.g., a pedestrian zone)

  • quarter

    a smaller section of a city, often with a distinct character (e.g., the Latin Quarter)

Grammar Patterns

adjective + district (e.g., financial district)

district + noun (e.g., district council)

Usage Note

District typically implies officially marked boundaries created for government or administrative purposes. More everyday terms like 'area' or 'neighbourhood' are preferred when no official division is intended.

district — verb

Word family

  • districted
    adjectiveC2
  • districting
    nounC2
  • redistrict
    verbC1
  • redistricting
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a part of a larger place, but they differ in precision and purpose. District (行政區) implies official, fixed boundaries drawn for administration or elections — a school district or an electoral district has a formal, legal existence. Area (地區) is the broadest and most informal term: any part of a space, with no implication of borders. Region (區域) usually refers to a larger natural, cultural, or economic division (e.g., the wine-growing region of southern France). Zone (地帶) suggests a section set aside for a specific function or restriction, such as a no-parking zone or a war zone. Quarter (街區) describes a smaller, character-rich section of a city, like the artists' quarter. When you need to emphasise official boundaries, choose district; for casual or flexible reference, area or region works better.

area ↗region ↗zone ↗quarter ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • business district
  • financial district
  • school district
  • residential district
  • shopping district
  • historic district
  • industrial district
  • electoral district
  • district council
  • district court

Phrases

  • the heart of the district
  • the boundaries of the district

Prepositions

  • in a district
  • throughout the district
  • across the district
  • within the district

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

District entered English in the early 1600s from French 'district', which came from Latin 'districtus' — the past participle of 'distringere', meaning 'to draw apart' or 'to separate'. The original Latin sense carried the idea of land that had been separated off from a larger territory, which evolved into the modern meaning of an area with defined boundaries for administrative or official purposes.