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

Etymology

Origin of city hall

An Americanism dating back to 1665–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

city hall

He recounted an incident in which he had been leaving city hall in July and collided with an e-bike shortly after his administration had discussed traffic restrictions in the city centre.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Standing at a city hall podium, he thanked Dolan and the front office for “believing in a kid when no one else would.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

But legal scholars and redistricting experts say the ruling could also have consequences in California’s city hall, school board and county supervisor races.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

To get one more shot to fight city hall, and win.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026

I’d invited old colleagues from Sidley and new colleagues from city hall.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• town hall