village
gb/vˈɪlɪd͡ʒ/ us/vˈɪlɪd͡ʒ/
A1
English
~ 800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
Small rural settlement
A small group of houses and buildings in the countryside, smaller than a town.
Usage pattern:
[someone] lives in a village
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'village' with 'town'. A town is generally larger and has more services than a village.
Synonyms
hamlet (Usually smaller and less developed than a village.)
|
settlement (A general term for any place where people live, not always rural.)
Antonyms
city (A large, densely populated urban area, opposite of a small rural community.)
Collocations
remote village
|small village
|village life
|village square
|village shop
Themes
geography
|daily life
|society
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Examples
- She grew up in a quiet village by the sea.
- The village has only one shop and a post office.
- We stayed in a mountain village during our holiday.
- The villagers gathered in the village square.
- That village is famous for its pottery.
Learner examples
- I live in a small village.
- The village is near the river.
- Our village has one school.
- They walked to the next village.
- This is my favorite village.
Grammar
Dictionary form
village
IPA
GB/vˈɪlɪd͡ʒ/
US/vˈɪlɪd͡ʒ/
Syllables & stress
vil - lage (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (vil)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: village
- Plural: villages
Word family
Forms
villages
noun
Core family
villager
noun B1
Related words
rural
adjective A2
countryside
noun A2
Negative and opposite forms
urban
adjective B1
Expressions
it takes a village
1/ˈɪt tˈeɪks ə vˈɪlɪd͡ʒ/
idiom
Many people’s help is needed
Many people must work together to help someone grow or succeed, especially in raising a child.
Examples
- It takes a village to raise a child, so we all help each other out.
- Organizing this event proved that it takes a village.
village idiot
1/vˈɪlɪd͡ʒ ˈɪdiət/
fixed phrase
informal
Foolish person in community
A person in a community who is thought to be very foolish or not smart.
Examples
- He was treated like the village idiot after making that mistake.
- Don’t act like the village idiot in front of our guests.
global village
1/ɡlˈoʊbəl vˈɪlɪd͡ʒ/
fixed phrase
World as connected community
The idea that technology makes people around the world feel like they live in one small community.
Examples
- The internet has turned the planet into a global village.
- Thanks to social media, we live in a global village.
- We live in a global village where news spreads instantly.
- The internet has turned our planet into a true global village.