freedom of the city
Americannoun
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nominal citizenship in a city, conferred as an honor upon important visitors.
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(formerly) official citizenship in a city, conferred upon distinguished nonresidents.
Etymology
Origin of freedom of the city
First recorded in 1765–75
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.
On Thursday, she had her honorary Freedom of the City of York stripped, in a further fall from grace.
From BBC
Sarah Ferguson has had her honorary Freedom of the City of York stripped, in a further fall from grace for the former Duchess of York.
From BBC
The former duchess could also have her freedom of the City of York stripped next week, in a further fall from grace.
From BBC
Belfast City Council is now considering a proposal to revoke Senator Mitchell's Freedom of the City honour, citing concerns about his links to Epstein.
From BBC
The civic honour after all four members of Sabbath were given the Freedom of the City of Birmingham, ahead of their farewell "Back to the Beginning" concert, at Villa Park on 5 July.
From BBC
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.
