twin city

American  

[twin sit-ee] / ˈtwɪn ˈsɪt i /

noun

twin cities plural

1. either of a pair of neighboring cities that together are popularly considered to constitute a single urban unit, usually not politically but most often commercially and socially.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• twin cities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of twin city

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Originally housed in the mountains outside Islamabad, Murree's red-brick facility now sits opposite the army chief's residence in the capital's twin city Rawalpindi, one of the most heavily guarded places in the country.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

The RSF seized most of Khartoum at the start of the conflict, while the army controls the twin city of Omdurman, just across the River Nile.

From BBC • Sep. 26, 2024

“It’s become unbearable,” Rabie said, heading to her job as a cleaner at a state-run hospital in Cairo’s twin city of Giza.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 14, 2023

Any advance would make Sievierodonetsk, and the twin city of Lysychansk, more vulnerable to Ukrainian artillery, military analysts said.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2022

Atrani, Amalfi’s twin city, lies in the adjoining defile of the mountains which arch above them.

From Italy, the Magic Land by Whiting, Lilian