neighborhood

American  

[ney-ber-hood] / ˈneɪ bərˌhʊd /

noun

neighborhoods plural

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• neighborhoods
  plural

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

See Examples For:

neighborhood neighborhoods

It’s been nearly five years since Spider-Man’s last big-screen adventure, but your friendly neighborhood webslinger is finally back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

He had moved into a mansion in the city’s patrician Nob Hill neighborhood, entertaining an eclectic set of guests who made their way up the home’s steep driveway to enjoy its sweeping views.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

“We don’t need that,” said Moctezuma, a 47-year-old ride-share driver who raised her children in the neighborhood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

A man who lived in the neighborhood, Sean Stanek, would recall a pale, “whacked-out” Blake pounding on his door and screaming, “You’ve gotta help me!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

After all, to the ordinary eye, Clara and Molly were the young and talented stewards of one of the great landmarks of the neighborhood, an independent cinema that honored its roots as a Yiddish stage.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

The inspiring tale of a forgotten hero: In 1990, a single dad got fed up with the billboards for cigarettes targeting Chicago’s Black neighborhoods.

From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026

It’s Bigger Than Us is a South Los Angeles-based nonprofit offering educational programs, community health resources and crisis response to youth, families and neighborhoods in need.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

This kind of negotiation and mutual aid has proved essential in neighborhoods across Los Angeles, especially those that face food scarcity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Legislators representing red and blue districts alike and from dense urban neighborhoods, suburbs and rural communities recognize that while opportunities for outdoor play differ by location, the need for daily movement doesn’t.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

He arrived at the station punctually just as the sun was filtering through the pine trees that still grew in thick groves in the white working-class neighborhoods south and east of Durham proper.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

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