Synonyms

city manager

American

noun

a person not publicly elected but appointed by a city council to manage a city.

city manager British

noun

(in the US) an administrator hired by a municipal council to manage its affairs See also council-manager plan

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of city manager

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

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:

city manager

“We’re a hub for the creative economy that is continuing to evolve,” said Adam Troy, Culver City assistant city manager, in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

A city manager in Oklahoma is accused of signing voter registration forms for 11 residents.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

The former director of the San Francisco Port who was just hired as a city manager in Marin County has been arrested on suspicion of burglary, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

T. Michael Stavres, the city manager, suggested the possibility of introducing a fire fee to help pay for fire services—prompting commissioners to request he prepare a proposal for a study of the issue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

“We had to scramble, but we made it. The city manager was able to pull some strings for us.”

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023