town hall

noun

1
: a public building used for town-government offices and meetings
2
: an event at which a public official or political candidate addresses an audience by answering questions posed by individual members
Town halls have lost some of their spontaneity. The 80 or so undecided voters chosen for Tuesday's event must submit their questions in advance and moderator Candy Crowley of CNN will decide which people to call on.Connie Cass

Examples of town hall 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.
Hamilton has flayed his Republican opponent for not holding public town halls -- an argument that resonates with Ubel. Gaby Vinick, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026 The village church, town hall, supermarket and school were saved, along with homes close by. Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 The district has scheduled a series of town hall meetings starting in September to gather community input. Ted Scouten, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 Newsom will then meet with Montgomery Mayor Steve Reed, hold a town hall with students at Alabama State University, and tour the Legacy Museum with civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson. Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for town hall

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of town hall was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Town hall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/town%20hall. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

town hall

noun
: a public building used for offices and meetings of town government
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