citizen

American  

[sit-uh-zuhn, -suhn] / ˈsɪt ə zən, -sən /

noun

1. a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection (alien ).

2. an inhabitant of a city or town, especially one entitled to its privileges or franchises.

3. an inhabitant, or denizen.

   The deer is a citizen of our woods.

4. a civilian, as distinguished from a soldier, police officer, etc.

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citizen British  

/ ˈsɪtɪzən, -ˌnɛs, ˈsɪtɪzənɪs /

noun

1. a native registered or naturalized member of a state, nation, or other political community Compare alien

2. an inhabitant of a city or town

3. a native or inhabitant of any place

4. a civilian, as opposed to a soldier, public official, etc

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Other Word Forms

• citizeness noun
• citizenly adjective
• noncitizen noun
• uncitizenly adjective
• undercitizen noun

Etymology

Origin of citizen

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English citisein, from Anglo-French citesein, Old French citeain, from cite city + -ain -an; change from citeain to citesein perhaps by association with Anglo-French denzain denizen

Example Sentences

They must be a U.S. citizen and they must have a Social Security number.

From MarketWatch

“I think that as a country we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we are treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect,” Lillis told reporters.

From The Wall Street Journal

Isn’t it the birthright of every California citizen to be endlessly entertained?

From Los Angeles Times

Many foreigners report feeling unwelcome or uncertain about travel to the U.S., and some public leaders from Canada and Europe have urged citizens to spend domestically, instead.

From Salon

This barrier, critics say, creates a fundamental conflict between corporate intellectual property rights and a citizen’s rights to privacy and due process.

From Salon

Related Words

• inhabitant
• national
• resident
• taxpayer