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free city

American

noun

a city having an independent government and forming a sovereign state by itself.

free city British

noun

a sovereign or autonomous city; city-state

"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 free city

First recorded in 1610–20

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.

Mamdani, a state lawmaker for New York's Queens borough, appealed to voters by pledging to tackle the soaring cost of living, offering free city bus travel, childcare and city-run grocery stores.

From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025

Or take Uber or a free city bus to the rental car center at Albuquerque International Sunport airport, where more options are available.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2024

"Florida and Miami are an open and free city and state," she said.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2022

This guy is a prince admiral from the free city of Myr.

From Salon • Aug. 30, 2022

Those gates looked so close ... and if the talk in the slave pens could be believed, Meereen remained a free city for the nonce.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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