city hall

American  

noun

(often initial capital letters)

• city halls
  plural

1. the administration building of a city government.

2. a city administration or government.

3. Informal. a bureaucracy or bureaucratic rules and regulations, especially that of a city government.

   You can't fight city hall.

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city hall British  

noun

1. the building housing the administrative offices of a city or municipal government

2. 1. municipal government

   2. the officials of a municipality collectively

3. informal bureaucracy

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• city halls
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of city hall

An Americanism dating back to 1665–75

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

city hall

The Elysee said Macron would visit the city hall in Marseille, France's second-largest city, on Monday, after it was damaged in the protest violence on October 17.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

In the city of Limoges, the clock tower and parts of the roof of the ornate city hall were engulfed in flames before collapsing on Saturday.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

By upgrading marriage registries with chandeliers, flower arches and poetry, local Chinese officials are glamorizing city hall weddings in hopes of encouraging young couples to marry and boost the nation’s declining birthrate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Granada city hall closed all municipal buildings except for those providing emergency and essential services as a precaution.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

The next day, five hundred residents of El Campesino El Mirador and two nearby towns marched to the city hall in Nogales, where all of the officers were frotn.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

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Related Words

• town hall

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