Chicago

American  

[shi-kah-goh, -kaw-] / ʃɪˈkɑ goʊ, -ˈkɔ- /

noun

1. Judy Judy Cohen, born 1939, U.S. artist, author, and educator.

2. a city in NE Illinois, on Lake Michigan: second largest city in the U.S.

3. a river formed in Chicago that flows through downtown and, as engineered, to the Des Plaines River: part of the Illinois Waterway.

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Chicago British  

/ ʃɪˈkɑːɡəʊ /

noun

1. a port in NE Illinois, on Lake Michigan: the third largest city in the US; it is a major railway and air traffic centre. Pop: 2 869 121 (2003 est)

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Chicago Cultural  

1. Largest city in Illinois; located on Lake Michigan.

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Discover More

Carl Sandburg, in his poem “Chicago,” called the city the “Hog Butcher for the World” because of Chicago's heavy involvement in the meatpacking industry.

During the time of Prohibition, Chicago was controlled by gangsters, Al Capone being the most notorious. Gangster warfare continued long after this particularly violent period.

Originally called the “Windy City” because the city bragged about the 1893 World Expo that was held there. The term has since come to refer to the strong northern winds that blow off the lake in the winter.

Chicago's downtown is referred to as the “Loop” because it is enclosed by elevated railways, called the “El.”

For many years the second largest city in the United States, before being displaced by Los Angeles, and therefore referred to as the “Second City.”

Example Sentences

“I always thought this would work,” Kirby said this past week at United’s Chicago headquarters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Barron’s reported in February that the CFTC’s storied Chicago office had lost its last enforcement attorney after rounds of layoffs and attrition.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

He reportedly tossed lozenges into the audience when a fit of coughing disrupted a performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

He has gone on to complete marathons in Berlin, Chicago, New York, Tokyo and Boston.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

I imagined sweet Mr. Bangs tending to things back in Chicago.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan