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.

---

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

MSF is one of only a few international aid groups still supporting hospitals in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman, helping to keep afloat a health system that has been under strain for decades.

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2023

Residents say the fighters, the Rapid Support Forces, seemed to control much of Khartoum’s city center and surrounding districts, as well as parts of its twin city, Omdurman.

From New York Times • Apr. 28, 2023

“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

Similar in geographic position, quite as much could be said for Niagara Falls, Ont., as has been said of her twin city on the American shore.

From The Niagara River by Hulbert, Archer Butler