variants
or less commonly towny
plural townies
informal
: a native or resident of a town
especially
: a permanent inhabitant of a town as distinguished from a member of another group (such as the academic community)
Every Yooper I've ever met was an uncommonly unique character – a real salt-of-the-earth townie skilled at mechanics, deer hunting, and/or ice fishing. —
Kelly O
Kelly O … a question every intelligent and ambitious townie one day must confront: should I stay or leave? —Ben Yagoda
—often used before another noun Ben Yagoda This old school townie bar is located just off of Main Street on the outskirts of town … and it's the sort of place that I'd imagine has a regular clientele of locals who drop by on a daily basis for a shot and a beer. —Lori Fredrich
Lori Fredrich 
Examples of townie in a Sentence
fights between townies and college kids
the townies are dismayed that all the venerable manses around the village green are being bought as vacation homes by rich interlopers
Recent Examples on the Web
Where to watch Magic Mike: Tubi 4. Dazed and Confused (1993)
Director Richard Linklater feared that McConaughey was too good-looking for the creepy townie who refused to grow up, but the tiny role bloomed into something special when the 22-year-old no-name stepped on the set.
—Jeff Labrecque, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2024
Customers at the gas station mart still talk about how townies would fish in the Gulf on warm days, and the women who work alongside Smith tell old stories about people who are long gone.
—Nidhi Sharma, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024
Nothing made Harvard’s contempt for townies clearer than the Fogg’s $20-a-head admission tab.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 14 Dec. 2023
Production designer Craig Lathrop, a Robert Eggers regular, recreates the merciless grimness of winter in New England among its malcontent townies.
—Bonnie Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2023
Mills stood at the pulpit and described her transition from Yale-resenting townie to union organizer.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
That townie, Steve Azar, a 42-year-old New Bedford native and former Somerville city planner, has lived in Provincetown for more than a decade.
—Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2023
The townies get understandably sick of the leering hordes; some are resigned to the glut and the spectacle, while others are less forgiving.
—Chris Vognar, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2023
His impulsive, irrational behavior is also troubling, evidenced in the scene where Lloyd whips out a shotgun on teen townies planning to egg his home mere days after spray-painting the film’s title on it.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 29 Mar. 2023
Jeff Labrecque, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2024
Customers at the gas station mart still talk about how townies would fish in the Gulf on warm days, and the women who work alongside Smith tell old stories about people who are long gone.
—Nidhi Sharma, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024
Nothing made Harvard’s contempt for townies clearer than the Fogg’s $20-a-head admission tab.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 14 Dec. 2023
Production designer Craig Lathrop, a Robert Eggers regular, recreates the merciless grimness of winter in New England among its malcontent townies.
—Bonnie Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2023
Mills stood at the pulpit and described her transition from Yale-resenting townie to union organizer.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
That townie, Steve Azar, a 42-year-old New Bedford native and former Somerville city planner, has lived in Provincetown for more than a decade.
—Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2023
The townies get understandably sick of the leering hordes; some are resigned to the glut and the spectacle, while others are less forgiving.
—Chris Vognar, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2023
His impulsive, irrational behavior is also troubling, evidenced in the scene where Lloyd whips out a shotgun on teen townies planning to egg his home mere days after spray-painting the film’s title on it.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 29 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'townie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near townie
Cite this Entry
“Townie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/townie. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
townie
noun
town·ie
ˈtau̇-nē 
: a permanent resident of a town
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share