twin city

American  

[twin sit-ee] / ˈtwɪn ˈsɪt i /

noun

twin cities plural

1. either of a pair of neighboring cities that together are popularly considered to constitute a single urban unit, usually not politically but most often commercially and socially.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• twin cities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of twin city

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Originally housed in the mountains outside Islamabad, Murree's red-brick facility now sits opposite the army chief's residence in the capital's twin city Rawalpindi, one of the most heavily guarded places in the country.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

"I am worried for my cousin," says Amir, who lives in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, which lies just across the River Nile.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2025

“It’s become unbearable,” Rabie said, heading to her job as a cleaner at a state-run hospital in Cairo’s twin city of Giza.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 14, 2023

It had held out for a week after Russia seized Sievierodonetsk, its twin city across the river.

From New York Times • Feb. 13, 2023

The population of Manchester and its twin city, Salford, touches three-quarters of a million, sturdy and stern Britons, proudly dubbing themselves “Manchester men,” in distinction from “Liverpool gentlemen.”

From With the World's Great Travellers, Volume 3 by Various