city
noun
a large or important town.
city
American
[sit-ee]
/ ˈsɪt i /
noun
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cities
plural
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a large or important town.
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(in the U.S.) an incorporated municipality, usually governed by a mayor and a board of aldermen or councilmen.
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the inhabitants of a city collectively.
The entire city is mourning his death.
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(in Canada) a municipality of high rank, usually based on population.
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(in Great Britain) a borough, usually the seat of a bishop, upon which the dignity of the title has been conferred by the crown.
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the City,
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the major metropolitan center of a region; downtown.
I'm going to the City to buy clothes and see a show.
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the commercial and financial area of London, England.
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a city-state.
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(often initial capital letter) a place, person, or situation having certain features or characteristics (used in combination).
The party last night was Action City. That guy is dull city.
city
1
British
/ ˈsɪtɪ /
noun
-
any large town or populous place
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(in Britain) a large town that has received this title from the Crown: usually the seat of a bishop
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(in the US) an incorporated urban centre with its own government and administration established by state charter
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(in Canada) a similar urban municipality incorporated by the provincial government
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an ancient Greek city-state; polis
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the people of a city collectively
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(modifier) in or characteristic of a city
a city girl
city habits
City
2
British
/ ˈsɪtɪ /
noun
-
short for City of London : the original settlement of London on the N bank of the Thames; a municipality governed by the Lord Mayor and Corporation. Resident pop: 7186 (2001)
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the area in central London in which the United Kingdom's major financial business is transacted
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the various financial institutions located in this area
Usage
What is a basic definition of city? A city is a place where a large number of people live. The word city is also used to refer to all of the people who live in this kind of place or to something that is related to such a place. The word city has more specific meanings, depending on the country. The plural of city is cities. Generally speaking, a city is a place where a large number of people are gathered together to live and/or work. Cities are typically much larger than places referred to as towns and are known for having homes and apartments placed more closely together than in other places. Different countries have specific definitions of what actually qualifies as a city, but the word is often used generally to describe a place where many people live. Real-life examples: New York City, Tokyo, Paris, London, Moscow, Beijing, Madrid, and Berlin are examples of major cities around the world. Used in a sentence: I grew up in the city of Philadelphia. Playing off of this, the word city is also used to collectively refer to all of the people who live in a city. Real-life examples: A mayor will often give speeches to the city, meaning the people who live there. A parade or festival will also be organized by a city, meaning the city’s government or the citizens of a city. Used in a sentence: The city celebrated New Year’s Eve with a big parade. The word city is also used to describe something that is related to or has the quality of a city. Real-life examples: A city library is a library located in and run by a city. A city bus is a bus owned and operated by a city. A city person is someone who grew up in a city or prefers the life of a city. Used in a sentence: My dad really hates city traffic.
Synonym Usage
See community.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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minicitynoun
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outcitynoun
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subcitynoun
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citylessadjective
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citylikeadjective
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intercityadjective
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procityadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of city
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English cite, from Anglo-French, Old French cite(t), from Latin cīvitāt-, stem of cīvitās “citizenry, town,” from cīvi(s) “citizen” ( cf. civil ( def. )) + -tās -ty 2
Explanation
A city is an area in which a large number of people live fairly close together. Cities usually have their own separate governments and systems for maintaining and providing utilities and transportation. A city is basically a big town — the population is large in relation to the amount of land, since people often live in apartments or multi-family housing. The largest city in the world today is Shanghai, China. You can also call the residents of a city as a whole a city: "The city voted to increase recycling." City comes from the Latin civitatem, "citizenship," or "community of citizens," from the root civis, "citizen."
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:
The property is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom single-family home in the downtown area of the city, with two separate accessory units.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Following the raid, Mundubile and Zulu took refuge at a United Nations building in the city.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
The city itself is geographically isolated, and has only recently begun to climb out of a long period of economic stagnation and to shake off a gritty reputation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Not everyone wants to live in the city, so it’s completely fine to live in the forest.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
If Joey wants good information, she needs to go out into the city, walk among the Japanese soldiers, and see things up close.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“The City gave Lineage 45 days to remove the biohazard food waste; today is day 60 on the City’s timeline.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
He scored in a 4-2 Champions League win over Manchester City in January 2025 before finding the net in each leg against Chelsea in the last-16 last season.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
“He’s changed the presumption to they’ll raise rates unless the data suggests it’s not necessary,” said Kohn, whose reading was shared by others at the Kansas City Fed’s annual symposium.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said Lineage had blown well past the city-imposed Aug. 14 deadline to remove waste from that freezer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
“I studied here in the City of Scholars, years ago, and she was famous. Every day she flies to the Gem Palace, the largest jeweler’s in the city.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
The 532-member group chat, called "Traders of Greater Europe", was used to arrange cash transfers across borders for their clients, including to British cities such as Birmingham and London.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
“You go to these beautiful old cities — then you go outside in the suburbs, and it’s like, ‘Oh no, this just looks like a cuter version of Californian suburbs.’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Before it ended in December 2024, the “Eras Tour” rearranged cities that it visited and rejiggered the way that pop fans discussed album cycles and stylistic shifts.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
But they know that moving abroad isn’t for everyone, so they did some research and came up with a variety of affordable cities in the U.S. where you might want to spend your retirement.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
There were enough warheads already on the island to demolish several American cities.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
