community

noun (plural communities)

• 1a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common:Rhode Island’s Japanese community the scientific community
• a group of people living together in one place, especially one practicing common ownership:a community of nuns
• a particular area or place considered together with its inhabitants:a rural community
• a body of nations or states unified by common interests: [in names]:the European Community the African Economic Community
• (the community) the people of a district or country considered collectively, especially in the context of social values and responsibilities; society:preparing prisoners for life back in the community
• [as modifier] denoting a worker or resource designed to serve the people of a particular area:community health services

• 2a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals:the sense of community that organized religion can provide
• [in singular] a similarity or identity:writers who shared a community of interests
• joint ownership or liability:a commitment to the community of goods

• 3 Ecology a group of interdependent organisms of different species growing or living together in a specified habitat:communities of insectivorous birds