city hall

American  

noun

(often initial capital letters)

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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Etymology

Origin of city hall

An Americanism dating back to 1665–75

Example Sentences

The lack of transparency also coincides with a crisis in local news, which has resulted in far less coverage of city halls, courthouses and school boards from the Imperial Valley to the shores of Eureka.

From Los Angeles Times

Kharkiv will have 10 underground schools open by the end of the year, the city hall said.

From Barron's

Ten years later, the figure had dropped to just 133,000, according to data from Paris city hall, which subsidises the sector.

From Barron's

The incident made headlines in Spain, and Madrid city hall said it was reviewing whether a fine was warranted for holding the event without a permit.

From Barron's

The rebuke to city hall led Mayor Watson to call for an audit of government spending—which he might have thought of before seeking a tax hike.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• town hall