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

The WSJ Logistics Report’s Liz Young writes that the fire started June 17 at the 500,000-square-foot, temperature-controlled warehouse in the Boyle Heights neighborhood and smoldered for days.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

"Because Earth and Mars formed in the same neighborhood of the solar system, they are like siblings," Denton said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

With a longstanding presence in London and a budding location in Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood, L.A. presented itself as the next natural evolution in the brand’s legacy, though many questioned the move.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

That includes property and reputational damage, cleanup expenses and lawsuits filed by neighborhood residents alleging health and air-quality concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

She stares out the window as if our neighborhood is some breathtaking vista.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Instead, they shift our gaze west, toward white neighborhoods.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

They were cleared not just from neighborhoods around venues, but from the route of the Olympic torch relay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

The world is still dangerous and humanity still capable of unspeakable evil, but most neighborhoods bear little resemblance to lawless frontiers of old.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Located just a short distance from the Gurney’s Montauk Resort, the property is located in one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in Montauk.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Each time, C.P. has campaigned for him in white working-class neighborhoods.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

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