citizen

American  

[sit-uh-zuhn, -suhn] / ˈsɪt ə zən, -sən /

noun

citizens plural

1. 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).

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

3. an inhabitant, or denizen.

   The deer is a citizen of our woods.

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

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citizen British  

/ ˈsɪtɪzən, -ˌnɛs, ˈsɪtɪzənɪs /

noun

1. a native registered or naturalized member of a state, nation, or other political community Compare alien

2. an inhabitant of a city or town

3. a native or inhabitant of any place

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• citizeness
  noun
• noncitizen
  noun
• undercitizen
  noun
• citizenly
  adjective
• uncitizenly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• citizens
  plural

Etymology

Origin of citizen

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English citisein, from Anglo-French citesein, Old French citeain, from cite city + -ain -an; change from citeain to citesein perhaps by association with Anglo-French denzain denizen

Explanation

It's pretty hard to be on this planet and not be recognized as a citizen of somewhere. You can be a citizen of a city, a country, or the world. Citizen can mean "an inhabitant of a particular place." To be recognized as an official citizen of a town, city, or country, one typically has to meet certain requirements. In return, one gets certain rights, such as the right to vote. In other uses, a citizen may just be someone who lives in a place, such as a "citizen of the world." That's a nice thing to be, but it's not going to get you social security payments when you retire.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

citizen citizens

Dobrindt said Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots, had been known to the authorities for a "high number" of previous crimes and for being radicalised and that he belonged to the "Islamist scene".

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

James will turn 42 in December, but he has established himself as the most effective senior citizen the NBA has ever seen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Douglass may not have held a role as a judge, legislator, or even enfranchised citizen, yet he nonetheless played a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s understanding of equal citizenship in the Civil War era.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

Chen is currently the only US citizen designated as "wrongfully detained".

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

A new law roped every citizen of the United States into conspiracy with the slave catchers, requiring everyone to search out and turn in any slaves they knew to be in hiding.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

The cost of prescription medications is closely watched by senior citizens, who are typically on a fixed income and may find it difficult to adjust to a price increase.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Two of its citizens have also petitioned the International Criminal Court to investigate "repeated xenophobic attacks", a move Pretoria has dismissed as "opportunistic".

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

A haven for refugees fleeing a civil war in the late ’90s, Minnesota is home to some 80,000 people of Somali descent, most of whom are citizens.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Ghana was the first African country to repatriate citizens from South Africa at the start of the recent wave of anti-migrant protests.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Speaking from the steps of the capitol, prominent civil rights leaders and ordinary citizens recalled the turbulent events at Selma that had turned the voting rights campaign into a mass protest against racial injustice.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

• inhabitant
• national
• resident
• taxpayer