Canton

/ˈkæntən/ name, noun, verb

name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A division of a political unit.
  • Grammar: canton is listed as name, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: achievement, administrative division, alerion, animal charge.
  • Useful contrasts: country, nation.
  • Usage evidence: Does their father work for the canton?

How to use "canton"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "canton" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "canton" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "canton" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "canton" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "canton" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "achievement" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "canton", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A division of a political unit.

    "These three millions live in a small canton of Egypt which cannot maintain twenty thousand people"

  2. 2
    A song or canto. obsolete

    "Write loyal cantons of contemnèd love / And sing them loud even in the dead of night."

  3. 3
    a small administrative division of a country wordnet
  4. 4
    A division of a political unit.; One of the states comprising the Swiss Confederation.
  5. 5
    A division of a political unit.; An administrative division within a department in France, often being a subdivision of an arrondissement.

    "According to a peasant novelist from the Bourbonnais, this was just as true in the 1840s as it was before the Revolution: "We had not the slightest notion of the outside world. Beyond the limits of the canton, and beyond the known distances, lay mysterious lands that were thought to be dangerous and inhabited by barbarians.""

Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    A division of a political unit.; A division of Luxembourg, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc.
  2. 7
    A division of a political unit.; A subdivision of a county, of Quebec, Canada; equivalent to a township. obsolete
  3. 8
    A small community or clan.
  4. 9
    A subdivision of a flag, the rectangular inset on the upper hoist (i.e., flagpole) side, the upper-left quadrant of a flag, (the stars of the US national flag are in a canton).
  5. 10
    A division of a shield occupying one third of the chief, usually on the dexter side, formed by a perpendicular line from the top meeting a horizontal line from the side.

    "The king gave us the arms of England to be borne in a canton in our arms."

Verb
  1. 1
    To delineate as a separate district. transitive
  2. 2
    divide into cantons, of a country wordnet
  3. 3
    To divide into cantons. transitive
  4. 4
    provide housing for (military personnel) wordnet
  5. 5
    To quarter troops by requisitioning housing from the civilian population. transitive

    "To the end of husbanding the supplies, he will cause to be cantoned in the cities and villages the greatest possible numbers of troops"

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    To be allotted such quarters. intransitive

    "An army, falling back upon its lines of magazines, may … make its retreat with more security than one which has to canton, to subsist, and to extend itself to find cantonments."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    Several places in China:; Guangzhou, the capital and largest city of Guangdong, China.

    "The Province of Quantung lies along upon the Sea-ſhore, having many convenient Havens and Harbors ; it contains ten Counties, and eighty great and ſmall Cities. Quancheu, or Canton by the Portugals, is the Metropolis and chief of the Province ; exceedingly beautified with Pagodes, Palaces, ſtately Structures, and Triumphal Arches ; fortified with ſtrong Walls, Towers, Bulwarks and Redoubts, defended by five Caſtles."

  2. 2
    A hamlet in Ontario, Canada.
  3. 3
    An inner city district and community in Cardiff, Wales (OS grid ref ST1676).
  4. 4
    A topographical surname from French.
  5. 5
    Several places in China:; Guangdong, a province of China.

    "XVIII. Quanton, or Canton, lies Eaſt and South from Quanſi, and is the moſt Southern Province of the Empire. Nieuhoff ſays, here are ſeveral ſafe Harbours and Roads, that it produces all Neceſſaries for Life, and has two Harveſts a year. Their Winter is very warm, and their Fields always verdant."

Show 27 more definitions
  1. 6
    Several places in the United States:; A former settlement in El Dorado County, California.
  2. 7
    Several places in China:; The Pearl River, a river in southern China. dated
  3. 8
    Several places in the United States:; A town in Hartford County, Connecticut.
  4. 9
    Several places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Cherokee County, Georgia.
  5. 10
    Several places in the United States:; A city in Fulton County, Illinois.
  6. 11
    Several places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Washington Township, Washington County, Indiana.
  7. 12
    Several places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Jackson County and Jones County, Iowa.
  8. 13
    Several places in the United States:; A small city in McPherson County, Kansas; named for the city in Ohio.
  9. 14
    Several places in the United States:; A small town in Oxford County, Maine; named for the town in Massachusetts.
  10. 15
    Several places in the United States:; A neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland.
  11. 16
    Several places in the United States:; A town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts.
  12. 17
    Several places in the United States:; A township in Wayne County, Michigan.
  13. 18
    Several places in the United States:; A tiny city in Fillmore County, Minnesota; named for the city in Ohio.
  14. 19
    Several places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Madison County, Mississippi.
  15. 20
    Several places in the United States:; A small city in Lewis County, Missouri; named for the city in Ohio.
  16. 21
    Several places in the United States:; A submerged ghost town in Broadwater County, Montana.
  17. 22
    Several places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Lower Alloways Creek Township, Salem County, New Jersey.
  18. 23
    Several places in the United States:; A town and village in St. Lawrence County, New York; the village is the county seat.
  19. 24
    Several places in the United States:; A town in Haywood County, North Carolina; named for the city in Ohio.
  20. 25
    Several places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Stark County, Ohio.
  21. 26
    Several places in the United States:; A small town in Blaine County, Oklahoma.
  22. 27
    Several places in the United States:; A borough of Bradford County, Pennsylvania; named for the town in Massachusetts.
  23. 28
    Several places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Lincoln County, South Dakota.
  24. 29
    Several places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Van Zandt County, Texas.
  25. 30
    Several places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Doddridge County, West Virginia.
  26. 31
    Several places in the United States:; A small town in Buffalo County, Wisconsin.
  27. 32
    Several places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Barron County, Wisconsin.

Synonyms

All synonyms
achievementadministrative divisionalerionanimal chargeannuletarchbishopric

Antonyms

countrynation

Example

"Does their father work for the canton?"

Common questions

What does "canton" mean?

A division of a political unit.

What is a synonym for "canton"?

Common synonyms include: achievement, administrative division, alerion, animal charge, annulet, archbishopric.

How do you use "canton" in a sentence?

Does their father work for the canton?

How do you pronounce "canton"?

Pronounced /ˈkæntən/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

1530s, from Middle French canton, from Old French canton (“corner”); heraldic sense from the 1570s, geographic sense from c. 1600.

Etymology 2

From Portuguese Cantão, from Mandarin 廣東 /广东 (Guǎngdōng). Doublet of Guangdong. Compare Spanish Cantón, French Canton, Italian Canton, Russian Кантон (Kanton).

Etymology 3

The town in Oklahoma was named for a nearby cantonment.

Etymology 4

From Canna + -ton, literally “St. Canna's town”.

Etymology 5

The surname is of French or Galician origin.

More for "canton"

Synonyms

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