company town

noun

: a community that is dependent on one firm for all or most of the necessary services or functions of town life (such as employment, housing, and stores)

Examples of company town in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Many lived in company towns, where coal operators owned their homes and stores and ultimately exerted enormous control over their daily lives. — Katie Angell Britannica Editors Aug. 27, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026 The site was home to the bustling Fiborn Quarry and adjacent company town from 1905 to 1936, first servicing local companies, and from 1909 onwards, primarily the Canadian Algoma Steel Corp, per The Michigan Karst Conservancy's website. — Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 27 Aug. 2026 SpaceX has for years launched rockets from ⁠Cape Canaveral, ​Florida; Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; ​and Starbase, the company town in South Texas that has been home to its Starship development ​and test-launch operations. — Reuters, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026 SpaceX previously faced community backlash, lawsuits and fines following environmental violations at its first Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, in the company town now known as Starbase. — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for company town

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of company town was in 1927

Rhymes for company town

See All Rhymes for company town

Browse Nearby Words

company store
company town
company union
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Company town.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/company%20town. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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