city
noun
a large or important town.
city
American
[sit-ee]
/ ˈsɪt i /
noun
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cities
plural
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a large or important town.
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(in the U.S.) an incorporated municipality, usually governed by a mayor and a board of aldermen or councilmen.
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the inhabitants of a city collectively.
The entire city is mourning his death.
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(in Canada) a municipality of high rank, usually based on population.
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(in Great Britain) a borough, usually the seat of a bishop, upon which the dignity of the title has been conferred by the crown.
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the City,
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the major metropolitan center of a region; downtown.
I'm going to the City to buy clothes and see a show.
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the commercial and financial area of London, England.
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a city-state.
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(often initial capital letter) a place, person, or situation having certain features or characteristics (used in combination).
The party last night was Action City. That guy is dull city.
city
1
British
/ ˈsɪtɪ /
noun
-
any large town or populous place
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(in Britain) a large town that has received this title from the Crown: usually the seat of a bishop
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(in the US) an incorporated urban centre with its own government and administration established by state charter
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(in Canada) a similar urban municipality incorporated by the provincial government
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an ancient Greek city-state; polis
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the people of a city collectively
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(modifier) in or characteristic of a city
a city girl
city habits
City
2
British
/ ˈsɪtɪ /
noun
-
short for City of London : the original settlement of London on the N bank of the Thames; a municipality governed by the Lord Mayor and Corporation. Resident pop: 7186 (2001)
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the area in central London in which the United Kingdom's major financial business is transacted
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the various financial institutions located in this area
Usage
What is a basic definition of city? A city is a place where a large number of people live. The word city is also used to refer to all of the people who live in this kind of place or to something that is related to such a place. The word city has more specific meanings, depending on the country. The plural of city is cities. Generally speaking, a city is a place where a large number of people are gathered together to live and/or work. Cities are typically much larger than places referred to as towns and are known for having homes and apartments placed more closely together than in other places. Different countries have specific definitions of what actually qualifies as a city, but the word is often used generally to describe a place where many people live. Real-life examples: New York City, Tokyo, Paris, London, Moscow, Beijing, Madrid, and Berlin are examples of major cities around the world. Used in a sentence: I grew up in the city of Philadelphia. Playing off of this, the word city is also used to collectively refer to all of the people who live in a city. Real-life examples: A mayor will often give speeches to the city, meaning the people who live there. A parade or festival will also be organized by a city, meaning the city’s government or the citizens of a city. Used in a sentence: The city celebrated New Year’s Eve with a big parade. The word city is also used to describe something that is related to or has the quality of a city. Real-life examples: A city library is a library located in and run by a city. A city bus is a bus owned and operated by a city. A city person is someone who grew up in a city or prefers the life of a city. Used in a sentence: My dad really hates city traffic.
Synonym Usage
See community.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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minicitynoun
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outcitynoun
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subcitynoun
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citylessadjective
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citylikeadjective
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intercityadjective
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procityadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of city
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English cite, from Anglo-French, Old French cite(t), from Latin cīvitāt-, stem of cīvitās “citizenry, town,” from cīvi(s) “citizen” ( cf. civil ( def. )) + -tās -ty 2
Explanation
A city is an area in which a large number of people live fairly close together. Cities usually have their own separate governments and systems for maintaining and providing utilities and transportation. A city is basically a big town — the population is large in relation to the amount of land, since people often live in apartments or multi-family housing. The largest city in the world today is Shanghai, China. You can also call the residents of a city as a whole a city: "The city voted to increase recycling." City comes from the Latin civitatem, "citizenship," or "community of citizens," from the root civis, "citizen."
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:
Nearly all the tables are taken at Khmary, a rooftop wine bar in the city center.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Two-year-old Yuna Postavna runs around the courtyard of the Kashtan cafe in the city center, squawking at the ravens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
"I adapted myself for the city and started bringing out the kind of worst side of myself."
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
The government, based in the city of Aden, controls much of the country's south and east -- a region that is larger but much less populated.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
But just then there was absolutely no available place outside the city.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
“I’ve been coming to games my whole life and this is easily the hottest game I’ve ever been to,” said Gonzalez, 38, of Culver City.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
In 2023, Leeds City Council purchased the nearby former Sunday School building, which was built in 1900, for use as a "learning and skills centre".
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
No team that plays in the bottom half of MLB’s media markets has won the World Series since the 2015 Kansas City Royals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
But the schedule doesn’t get any easier soon for the Chargers, whose next games are against Denver, Kansas City, the Rams, Houston and Baltimore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
But sprinkled throughout were a few Party City hippies, poodle skirts, and others who had simply not bothered to try at all, wearing whatever they would have for a typical night out.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
She gets "horrendous" motion sickness when her friend drives her in his electric vehicle in busy cities, she says.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
The speed limits on the roads between the two cities range from 45 mph to 75 mph depending on the stretch of road.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Soon building virtual cities became therapeutic relief from football’s pressures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
In France, several cities have operated automated metro lines for years, whereas Germany has only one, in the midsize city of Nuremberg.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Other Jews were relocated behind thick walls and barbed wire in overcrowded city ghettos, created in large cities such as Warsaw and Lodz.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
