Chinatown

American

[chahy-nuh-toun] / ˈtʃaɪ nəˌtaʊn /

noun

the main Chinese district in any city outside China.

Chinatown British

/ ˈtʃaɪnəˌtaʊn /

noun

a quarter of any city or town outside China with a predominantly Chinese population

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Chinatown

China + town

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Tim Riley, owner of Heavy Water Coffee Shop in Chinatown, said trust in government is at an all-time low and urged the commission to keep the controller’s powers intact.

From Los Angeles Times

“All of a sudden, being Chinese is cool,” said Lin, 32, who was born and raised in New York’s Chinatown.

From The Wall Street Journal

This was among the sights in Chinatown on Saturday, where thousands gathered along Hill and Broadway streets for the Golden Dragon Parade to celebrate Lunar New Year.

From Los Angeles Times

“Chinatown is not made up of only Chinese people. We have all kinds of nationalities living in Chinatown now, so we wanted to celebrate that.”

From Los Angeles Times

It was their second year at the Chinatown event and they made a day of it, with purchases that included a lion dance puppet, Pokémon goods and even some milagros, small charms, from Olvera Street.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023