city

American  

[sit-ee] / ˈsɪt i /

noun

plural

cities

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.

Related Words

See community.

Other Word Forms

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

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” ( civil ( def. ) ) + -tās -ty ²

Example Sentences

Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom sees the technology transforming the real estate market as autonomous vehicles incentivize people to move from cities to suburbs, continuing the trend started by the pandemic and rise of remote work.

From MarketWatch

Downtown L.A. is doing better than you think it is, but the government needs to do more to energize the city, said one of the region’s longest and most successful real estate leaders.

From Los Angeles Times

Fall River is one of those northern post-industrial cities that’s been futilely trying to reverse decline for decades, first by bulldozing historic neighborhoods to build highways, and now by constructing breweries and farmer’s markets.

From Salon

Four of the top 10 most competitive cities were in California, and three were in western New York.

From The Wall Street Journal

"As far as I know, they've been taken to the city of Belgorod and are being held at an unknown location."

From BBC

Related Words

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