city father

noun

1. any of the officials or prominent citizens of a city.

city father

noun

1. a person who is active or prominent in the public affairs of a city, such as an alderman

Word History and Origins

Origin of city father¹

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

But not from Orange, whose city fathers have long cast it as a slice of small-town Americana free from big-city problems or national issues.

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And it behooves city fathers and mothers to take this sentiment seriously, if they wish to keep mothering and fathering.

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The only reason the campus designers even addressed the southern tip of Puget Sound was because city fathers in Olympia asked them to do so.

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Dutch cities, including the capital, Amsterdam, and port city Rotterdam already have issued apologies for the historic role of city fathers in the slave trade.

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Los Angeles’ city fathers, so adept at ballyhoo, just hated it that the highfalutin’ town up the Arroyo Seco had thought up their big flowery promotional parade first.

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