city-state

[ sit-ee-steyt ]

noun

a sovereign state consisting of an autonomous city and, especially historically, any dependent settlements or territories: The Corinthian order of architecture is named for its legendary origin in the ancient Greek city-state of Corinth.Singapore’s role in shaping global entrepreneurship has further strengthened that city-state's position in the world economy.

Origin of city-state

First recorded in 1890–95

Words Nearby city-state

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use city-state in a sentence

Earlier this month the Vatican announced the installation of free showers for the homeless in public bathrooms in the city-state.
Pope Bids Refugees to EU ‘Bienvenido’; Europe Says ‘Non’ | Candida Moss | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Neighboring city-state Athens was more haphazard about its infanticide.
Living With Disability in the Dark Ages | Elizabeth Picciuto | July 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
For Zahir (not his real name), the wealthy city-state of Singapore was meant to be his chance to make it rich.
Singapore’s Exploited Immigrant Workers | Kirsten Han | November 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The city-state of Tel Aviv will sleep-party through the end of the two-state solution.
Open Zion’s 2013 Predictions | Open Zion Editorial | December 28, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Yale should learn from the city-state, he and others have argued, not condemn it.
Yale’s Singapore University Criticized For Free-Speech Restrictions | Alex Klein | July 24, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

Local cults rose into prominence as a city-state or ruling family achieved political ascendancy.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia | Various
Perhaps the noblest society of antiquity was the Greek city state.
Some Christian Convictions | Henry Sloane Coffin
Xenophon had always dreamt of forming on the border of Hellenedom a new city state, which should honor him as its founder.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 5 of 8 | Various
To a Greek it suggested the assembly of freeborn citizens in a city state.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 3 | Various
From family to tribe to city-state to nation to hemisphere, the direction has been toward unification.
The Defenders | Philip K. Dick

British Dictionary definitions for city-state

city-state

noun

a state consisting of a sovereign city and its dependencies. Among the most famous are the great independent cities of the ancient world, such as Athens, Sparta, Carthage, Thebes, Corinth, and Rome

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

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