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• city
  city

  noun

  a large or important town.
• City
  City

  noun

  short for City of London : the original settlement of London on the N bank of the Thames; a municipality governed by the Lord Mayor and Corporation. Resident pop: 7186 (2001)

city

American  

[sit-ee] / ˈsɪt i /

noun

• cities
  plural

1. a large or important town.

2. (in the U.S.) an incorporated municipality, usually governed by a mayor and a board of aldermen or councilmen.

3. the inhabitants of a city collectively.

   The entire city is mourning his death.

4. (in Canada) a municipality of high rank, usually based on population.

5. (in Great Britain) a borough, usually the seat of a bishop, upon which the dignity of the title has been conferred by the crown.

6. the City,

   1. the major metropolitan center of a region; downtown.

      I'm going to the City to buy clothes and see a show.

   2. the commercial and financial area of London, England.

7. a city-state.

8. (often initial capital letter) a place, person, or situation having certain features or characteristics (used in combination).

   The party last night was Action City. That guy is dull city.

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city ¹ British  

/ ˈsɪtɪ /

noun

1. any large town or populous place

2. (in Britain) a large town that has received this title from the Crown: usually the seat of a bishop

3. (in the US) an incorporated urban centre with its own government and administration established by state charter

4. (in Canada) a similar urban municipality incorporated by the provincial government

5. an ancient Greek city-state; polis

6. the people of a city collectively

7. (modifier) in or characteristic of a city

   a city girl

   city habits

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City ² British  

/ ˈsɪtɪ /

noun

1. short for City of London : the original settlement of London on the N bank of the Thames; a municipality governed by the Lord Mayor and Corporation. Resident pop: 7186 (2001)

2. the area in central London in which the United Kingdom's major financial business is transacted

3. the various financial institutions located in this area

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Usage

What is a basic definition of city? A city is a place where a large number of people live. The word city is also used to refer to all of the people who live in this kind of place or to something that is related to such a place. The word city has more specific meanings, depending on the country. The plural of city is cities. Generally speaking, a city is a place where a large number of people are gathered together to live and/or work. Cities are typically much larger than places referred to as towns and are known for having homes and apartments placed more closely together than in other places. Different countries have specific definitions of what actually qualifies as a city, but the word is often used generally to describe a place where many people live. Real-life examples: New York City, Tokyo, Paris, London, Moscow, Beijing, Madrid, and Berlin are examples of major cities around the world. Used in a sentence: I grew up in the city of Philadelphia. Playing off of this, the word city is also used to collectively refer to all of the people who live in a city. Real-life examples: A mayor will often give speeches to the city, meaning the people who live there. A parade or festival will also be organized by a city, meaning the city’s government or the citizens of a city. Used in a sentence: The city celebrated New Year’s Eve with a big parade. The word city is also used to describe something that is related to or has the quality of a city. Real-life examples: A city library is a library located in and run by a city. A city bus is a bus owned and operated by a city. A city person is someone who grew up in a city or prefers the life of a city. Used in a sentence: My dad really hates city traffic.

Synonym Usage

See community.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• minicity
  noun
• outcity
  noun
• subcity
  noun
• cityless
  adjective
• citylike
  adjective
• intercity
  adjective
• procity
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of city

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English cite, from Anglo-French, Old French cite(t), from Latin cīvitāt-, stem of cīvitās “citizenry, town,” from cīvi(s) “citizen” ( cf. civil ( def. )) + -tās -ty ²

Explanation

A city is an area in which a large number of people live fairly close together. Cities usually have their own separate governments and systems for maintaining and providing utilities and transportation. A city is basically a big town — the population is large in relation to the amount of land, since people often live in apartments or multi-family housing. The largest city in the world today is Shanghai, China. You can also call the residents of a city as a whole a city: "The city voted to increase recycling." City comes from the Latin civitatem, "citizenship," or "community of citizens," from the root civis, "citizen."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

city City cities

“Los Angeles has been through so much over the past several years, but the city is resilient. You simply can’t recreate this city anywhere else, and I’m excited to bring Cher home.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

There was also heightened demand for bus and train services to and from the city during the festival.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Embraer executives also gave an update on Eve Air Mobility, a subsidiary developing electric "air taxis" designed to shuttle passengers above congested city streets.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

“I’m so grateful that ‘Clueless’ gets to tell Cher’s next chapter in the city where her story began,” Silverstone said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

We knew someone in every business and service in the city.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

The Sex Pistols headlining the Palladium in New York City or the Agora in Cleveland wouldn’t have made splashy headlines.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

Archer aspires to build a fleet of air taxis that could potentially jet New York City travelers to airports in 15 minutes or less, avoiding traffic jams.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

The Kansas City Chiefs recently gave Patrick Mahomes an extension worth $64 million a year to make him the game’s highest paid player, while the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen comes in at $55 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

The Blue Origin founder also has a huge pied-à-terre in New York City.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

For these three-hour daily séances, Kate made the annual salary of $1,200, about eight times more than a female teacher earned in nineteenth-century New York City.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

And that might have happened, if the Sex Pistols had booked their first U.S. tour through the kinds of major, music-friendly cities that most bands visit.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

Typhoon Dolphin brought heavy rain to eastern China on Monday, causing hundreds of flight cancellations even as the storm weakened and some cities resumed public transport.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

With parts of the globe aflame in wildfires, deadly heat waves parking over cities, record hot oceans and a strengthening super El Niño, it seems like we’re baking through the hottest year on record.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Housing has become scarce and unaffordable in some cities, with more apartments being used as pricey short-term vacation rentals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Although some people stayed home to listen to the broadcasts, many celebrated, taking part in midnight torchlight parades that snaked throughout other German towns and cities.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

• capital
• center
• downtown
• metropolis
• municipality
• place
• port