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

The researchers examined three key sociobehavioral factors: stress internalization, neighborhood or community cohesion and external stress alleviation.

From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026

The Hilton, in a ritzy Washington neighborhood, has long hosted the White House correspondents’ dinner.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026

A blue scooter was parked on the lawn, and a neighbor said he’d seen Allen riding it around the neighborhood.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

Only in the weeks after you have moved in does the neighborhood reveal itself.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

“Now, what brings you lot down here? This isn’t the nicest neighborhood in London, you know. You’d best be on your way home, if you don’t mind me telling you what to do.”

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

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