citizen

[sit-uh-zuh n, -suh n]

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noun

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

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

an inhabitant, or denizen: The deer is a citizen of our woods.

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

Origin of citizen

1275–1325; Middle English citisein < Anglo-French citesein, Old French citeain, equivalent to cite city + -ain -an; Anglo-French s perhaps by association with deinzain denizen

Related formscit·i·zen·ly, adjectivenon·cit·i·zen, nounun·cit·i·zen·ly, adjectiveun·der·cit·i·zen, noun

Can be confusedcitizen resident

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for citizens

voter, civilian, resident, national, settler, inhabitant, taxpayer, villager, dweller, commoner, aborigine, denizen, subject, householder, occupant, native, cosmopolite, burgher, burgess, townsperson

Examples from the Web for citizens

Contemporary Examples of citizens

Citizens, perhaps, need to feel like they can communicate something to science.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers
Michael Schulson
July 27, 2016
The citizens of Stevens Point defeated fluoridation by a healthy margin.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers
Michael Schulson
July 27, 2016
As soon as this attack [happened], Paris citizens came together to show were are not afraid, we are Charlie Hebdo.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers
Nico Hines
January 9, 2015
But the other thing that needs to be done is for us citizens to do.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
January 8, 2015
It is the obligation of citizens and journalists as well as governments.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too
John Avlon
January 8, 2015

Historical Examples of citizens

It is our birthright as citizens of this great Republic, and we'll meet this challenge.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
We have learned to be citizens of the world, members of the human community.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
Americans in need are not strangers, they are citizens, not problems, but priorities.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
And our citizens, all school taught, are walking in the same darkness.
A Treatise on Parents and Children
George Bernard Shaw
The American, once having made them citizens, cannot unmake them.
American Notes
Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for citizens

citizen

noun

a native registered or naturalized member of a state, nation, or other political communityCompare alien

an inhabitant of a city or town

a native or inhabitant of any place

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

Related formsRelated adjective: civil

Derived Formscitizeness (ˈsɪtɪzənɪs, -ˌnɛs), fem ncitizenly, adjective

Word Origin for citizen

C14: from Anglo-French citesein, from Old French citeien, from cité, city

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

Word Origin and History for citizens

citizen

early 14c., "inhabitant of a city," from Anglo-French citezein (spelling subsequently altered, probably by influence of denizen), from Old French citeien "city-dweller, town-dweller, citizen" (12c., Modern French citoyen), from cite (see city) + -ain (see -ian). Replaced Old English burhsittend and ceasterware. Sense of "inhabitant of a country" is late 14c. Citizen's arrest recorded from 1941; citizen's band (radio) from 1947. Citizen of the world (late 15c.) translates Greek kosmopolites.