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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

canton

/ˈkæntən/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does canton mean?

noun

  1. A division of a political unit.
  2. One of the states comprising the Swiss Confederation.
  3. An administrative division within a department in France, often being a subdivision of an arrondissement.
More meanings (42)

noun

  1. A division of Luxembourg, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc.
  2. A small community or clan.
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
  5. (obsolete) A subdivision of a county, of Quebec, Canada; equivalent to a township.
  6. (obsolete) A song or canto.

verb

  1. To delineate as a separate district.
  2. To divide into cantons.
  3. To quarter troops by requisitioning housing from the civilian population.
  4. To be allotted such quarters.

proper noun

  1. Guangzhou, the capital and largest city of Guangdong, China.
  2. Guangdong, a province of China.
  3. A hamlet in Ontario, Canada.
  4. A former settlement in El Dorado County, California.
  5. A town in Hartford County, Connecticut.
  6. A city, the county seat of Cherokee County, Georgia.
  7. A city in Fulton County, Illinois.
  8. An unincorporated community in Washington Township, Washington County, Indiana.
  9. An unincorporated community in Jackson County and Jones County, Iowa.
  10. A small city in McPherson County, Kansas; named for the city in Ohio.
  11. A small town in Oxford County, Maine; named for the town in Massachusetts.
  12. A neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland.
  13. A town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts.
  14. A township in Wayne County, Michigan.
  15. A tiny city in Fillmore County, Minnesota; named for the city in Ohio.
  16. A city, the county seat of Madison County, Mississippi.
  17. A small city in Lewis County, Missouri; named for the city in Ohio.
  18. A submerged ghost town in Broadwater County, Montana.
  19. An unincorporated community in Lower Alloways Creek Township, Salem County, New Jersey.
  20. A town and village in St. Lawrence County, New York; the village is the county seat.
  21. A town in Haywood County, North Carolina; named for the city in Ohio.
  22. A city, the county seat of Stark County, Ohio.
  23. A small town in Blaine County, Oklahoma.
  24. A borough of Bradford County, Pennsylvania; named for the town in Massachusetts.
  25. A city, the county seat of Lincoln County, South Dakota.
  26. A city, the county seat of Van Zandt County, Texas.
  27. An unincorporated community in Doddridge County, West Virginia.
  28. A small town in Buffalo County, Wisconsin.
  29. An unincorporated community in Barron County, Wisconsin.
  30. An inner city district and community in Cardiff, Wales (OS grid ref ST1676).
  31. A topographical surname from French.
  32. (dated) The Pearl River, a river in southern China.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈkæntən/

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Poli was said to be on an island in the sea south-east of Camboja, and two months south-east of Canton.
Charles Hose; William McDougallThe Pagan Tribes of Borneo A Description of Their Physical Moral and Intellectual Condition, with Some Discussion of Their Ethnic RelationsProject Gutenberg ebook #3307
The canton of Underwald, in Switzerland, is frequently ravaged by storms and inundations, and it is thereby exposed to extraordinary expenses.
Adam SmithAn Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of NationsProject Gutenberg ebook #3300
More book examples (3)
The inhabitants of Canton are, I believe, mostly Taoists by religion, but their lives are embittered by their constant struggles with the local devils.
Frederic, Lord HamiltonHere, There and EverywhereProject Gutenberg ebook #6368
I had received positive instructions from my government to obtain a big loan for the purpose of constructing the proposed railway from Hankow to Canton.
Tingfang WuAmerica, Through the Spectacles of an Oriental DiplomatProject Gutenberg ebook #609
It had not appeared in the Canton district for forty years or more, though it was endemic in Yunnan.
George M. (George Milbrey) Gould; Walter L. (Walter Lytle) PyleAnomalies and Curiosities of MedicineProject Gutenberg ebook #747