city manager

American

noun

a person not publicly elected but appointed by a city council to manage a city.

city manager British

noun

(in the US) an administrator hired by a municipal council to manage its affairs See also council-manager plan

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of city manager

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Still, any outside support or focus on the city’s years-long emergency is a big deal, said Ara Mihranian, Rancho Palos Verdes city manager.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

In Social Circle, Georgia, the city manager shut off water to a warehouse ICE had purchased amid concerns about strains on local resources.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2026

Eric Taylor, the city manager of Social Circle, Ga., said his town faces a similar predicament.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

Without disclosing an exact amount, the city manager said that Pico Rivera had set aside some funding for strategic real estate acquisitions and that this would be the ideal investment for the community.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026

The city manager was a chum of Keith and High, and C.P. accompanied the two on several visits to his office.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023