neighborhood

American  

[ney-ber-hood] / ˈneɪ bərˌhʊd /

noun

1. the area or region around or near some place or thing; vicinity.

   the kids of the neighborhood; located in the neighborhood of Jackson and Vine streets.

2. a district or locality, often with reference to its character or inhabitants.

   a fashionable neighborhood; to move to a nicer neighborhood.

   Synonyms:

   vicinity, locale, area, community

3. a number of persons living near one another or in a particular locality.

   The whole neighborhood was there.

4. neighborly feeling or conduct.

5. nearness; proximity.

   to sense the neighborhood of trouble.

6. Mathematics. an open set that contains a given point.

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idioms

1. in the neighborhood of, approximately; nearly; about.

   She looks to be in the neighborhood of 70.

Etymology

Origin of neighborhood

First recorded in 1400–50, neighborhood is from the late Middle English word neighborehode. See neighbor, -hood

Explanation

Use the noun neighborhood when you're talking about a community within a town or city. Getting to know the people and places in your neighborhood can make you feel right at home in a city of millions. A neighborhood can be created by lines on a map that designate a district, or it can grow over time to become a neighborhood with a certain personality, based on who lives there. You can also use neighborhood to describe something nearby, like promising to visit a friend the next time you are in the neighborhood — or something that's approximate, like a restaurants whose burgers are in the neighborhood of ten dollars.

Example Sentences

Los Angeles primary election map: See how your neighborhood voted for Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman in the 2026 L.A. mayoral race.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

My odyssey began in Navy Yard, a recently built-up D.C. neighborhood where the Transportation Department is headquartered.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026

The Italian Village neighborhood named a park for Columbus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

The Julien's auction contains several items Monroe "personally owned, touched, and used, including pieces from her last residence in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California", the company said.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

I see something in its eyes, the same caged look that the neighborhood stray cats get when Ma catches them clawing up our mailbox.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• area
• block
• district
• parish
• part
• precinct
• region
• section
• street
• suburb
• territory
• zone