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.

See Examples For:

city manager

A city manager in Oklahoma is accused of signing voter registration forms for 11 residents.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

City officials in Sausalito, where Elaine Forbes began her job as city manager on July 1, said the weekend arrest was “a difficult development for our city staff and our community.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

The former director of the San Francisco Port who was just hired as a city manager in Marin County has been arrested on suspicion of burglary, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Lopez, the city manager, said the four targeted officials are still fulfilling their duties, despite the verbal attacks from Facebook and elsewhere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

She was sure her grandmother had done good things as city manager too.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

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