suburban
Americanadjective
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pertaining to, inhabiting, or being in a suburb or the suburbs of a city or town.
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characteristic of a suburb or suburbs.
noun
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a suburbanite.
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a short overcoat for casual wear.
adjective
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of, relating to, situated in, or inhabiting a suburb or the suburbs
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characteristic of or typifying a suburb or the suburbs
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pejorative narrow or unadventurous in outlook
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of suburban
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin suburbānus “located close to a city (especially to Rome),” equivalent to sub- + urb- (stem of urbs “city”) + -ānus adjective suffix; see origin at sub-, urban
Explanation
Suburban refers to areas just beyond a city’s border. Your parents might have grown up in the city and then moved to a more suburban area after they had kids. If you see a lot of malls, plus houses that all look the same, and you're just outside a city, then you're in a suburban area: the suburbs. If you're from the suburbs, the chaos of New York City might be shocking. Suburban areas aren't as busy as urban (city) areas, but there's a lot more going on than in rural areas — farmland. One difference between suburban and urban areas is the urban areas have more cabs and public transportation.
Vocabulary lists containing suburban
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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.
The 29 May incident began when Dong "failed to slow for traffic" on Interstate 95 and hit a Chevrolet Suburban that plowed into other cars, igniting one on fire.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
How about a cool $100,000 to be driven through the Lincoln Tunnel in Tony Soprano’s 1999 Chevy Suburban?
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
Suburban areas of Southern California have some of the highest coyote population densities in the nation.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026
After selecting their bodyguards’ outfits, users can pick between a Cadillac Escalade or a Chevy Suburban — both of which have room for five “Protectees,” the app notes as you make a reservation.
From Salon • Feb. 24, 2025
He drives an old maroon Suburban that probably hasn’t passed inspection for the last five years.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
