How to Use townspeople in a Sentence

townspeople

plural noun
  • But the townspeople are abuzz about one of their own.
    — Chad Graff, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
  • The main square was full of townspeople trying to douse the flames.
    — NBC News, 5 June 2019
  • This of course, does not sit well with the townspeople or the town council.
    — Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2021
  • Most of them, and most of the townspeople who greeted them, are dead.
    — Bob Greene, WSJ, 22 July 2018
  • The townspeople would come to process their grain by day and enjoy drinks at night.
    — Sarah Pachter, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2024
  • Many townspeople see him as a leader with a strong moral compass.
    — Ani Kokobobo, The Conversation, 13 Jan. 2021
  • The wharf shed washed away a few times, but it was always rebuilt by the townspeople.
    — Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Oct. 2020
  • But the townspeople of Lancashire didn’t want to work through the night.
    — The Economist, 14 Oct. 2019
  • Also, there’s a tiger that may or may not be stalking townspeople.
    — Amy Alipio, National Geographic, 6 Mar. 2019
  • Now, the church bells that used to call the townspeople to mass served as a warning system.
    — Kyra Gurney, miamiherald, 7 June 2018
  • The bell is cast, and an army of townspeople gather to raise it on a scaffold, for a test.
    — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2021
  • Not that the townspeople, who treat him like some sort of true pariah, are much better.
    — Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Because of that mist, all of the townspeople are being held for fear of dark magic.
    — USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2023
  • On a hill is the grove of trees that Manuel planted for townspeople to enjoy.
    — Matías Costa, Smithsonian, 28 June 2018
  • The townspeople agreed, and the piper began to play a lively tune upon his fife.
    — Simon Rich, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
  • The roar of the water and debris blotted out townspeople’s cries for help.
    — oregonlive, 1 July 2021
  • That the townspeople left these tributes for him in silent honor, year after year.
    — John Carlisle, Freep.com, 28 May 2023
  • The church in Tongue held a special service, and the townspeople came out to grieve.
    — WIRED, 31 Jan. 2023
  • Having interviews with some of the townspeople brings it all home.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Can the townspeople put a stop to the (wildly creative) murders?
    — Amy MacKelden, ELLE, 6 Sep. 2023
  • The film follows several townspeople who try to decide what to do with a dead body.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Each year, the town and the townspeople get covered in colored flour, which is thrown on locals and tourists alike.
    — Forrest Brown, CNN, 19 Feb. 2023
  • The grist mill, where townspeople would grind wheat into flour, is closed, with boards across the entryway.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Dark transforms some of the townspeople as the boys try to find out the secret of the carnival.
    — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2025
  • This was just the fuel the townspeople needed to confirm there was dark magic afoot.
    — Brooklyn White, Essence, 29 Apr. 2022
  • Paige tends to keep her distance from the other townspeople and only deals with cash to avoid a paper trail.
    — Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 17 July 2021
  • The whole settlement will collapse if townspeople can’t get along.
    — Stephanie Burt, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026
  • As the months wore on, the relationship between the troops and the townspeople grew more and more strained.
    — Time, 9 Oct. 2025
  • More Secret Codes So far, the townspeople haven’t come up with much.
    — Andrew Daniels, Popular Mechanics, 14 May 2019
  • Along the way, most Mexican townspeople have rolled out the welcome mat.
    — José De Córdoba and Juan Montes, WSJ, 26 Oct. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'townspeople.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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